General Surgery involves the diagnosis and preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative care of patients with diseases of the alimentary tract; abdomen and its contents; breast; head and neck; endocrine system and vascular system (excluding intracranial vessels and the heart). It includes: Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (Gall Bladder) . This surgery uses a laparoscope (an instrument used to see the inside of your body) to remove the gallbladder. With this type of surgery you may return to work sooner, have less pain after surgery, and have a shorter hospital stay and a shorter recovery time. Hernia Repair (all types) . Hernias erupt when a weakened abdominal muscle tears open, permitting the organs inside to push through. The weakened or torn muscle is repaired with stitches, and the surgeon will often strengthen the area with a patch made of a synthetic material. Breast Biopsy / Lumpectomy . Lumpectomy is the surgical removal of a cancerous lump (or tumor) in the breast, along with a small margin of the surrounding normal breast tissue. The procedure is an attractive surgical treatment option for breast cancer because it allows women to maintain most of their breast after surgery. Mastectomy . A mastectomy is a surgical procedure in which part, or all, of the breast is removed. Healthy tissue around the breast, including lymph nodes in the armpit, may also be removed, depending on how far the cancer has spread. Sentinel Node Biopsy . Sentinel lymph node biopsy is a diagnostic procedure used to determine whether breast cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes. The biopsy requires the removal of one to three lymph nodes for close review by a pathologist. Varicose Vein Stripping . Varicose veins are enlarged, twisted, painful superficial veins resulting from poorly functioning valves. Pooling of blood in a vein causes it to enlarge. Stripping will surgically remove these veins. Temporal Artery Biopsy . Segment of temporal artery is removed by open surgical biopsy to diagnose giant cell (temporal) arteritis.  Port-a-Cath Insertion / Removal . A Port-a-Cath is a device placed surgically under the skin in the chest in order to give drugs into a large vein. Removal of skin lesions / lipoma . Problematic skin lesions (moles, cysts, warts, etc.) can be removed, including lipomas - benign tumors of fatty tissue.