'first three weeks'

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP, is a procedure to diagnose and treat problems in the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, and pancreas. It combines X-ray and the use of an endoscope—a long, flexible, lighted tube. Your healthcare provider guides the scope through your mouth and throat, then down the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small intestine (duodenum). Your healthcare provider can view the inside of these organs and check for problems. Next, he or she will pass a tube through the scope and inject a dye. This highlights the organs on X-ray.

A Caesarean section is the delivery of a baby through a surgical incision in the abdomen and uterus. Caesarean sections can be classified as either ‘elective’ (planned) or ‘emergency’. Emergency Caesarean sections can then be subclassified into three categories, based on their urgency. This is to ensure that babies are delivered in a timely manner in accordance to their or their mother’s needs. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) recommends that when a Category 1 section is called, the baby should be born within 30 minutes (although some units would expect 20 minutes). For Category 2 sections, there is not a universally accepted time, but usual audit standards are between 60-75 minutes. Emergency Caesarean sections are most commonly for failure to progress in labour or suspected/confirmed fetal compromise.

If you have an anal fissure that hasn’t healed with self-help measures and medical treatments, we may suggest you a procedure to treat it. An anal fissure is a small tear or ulcer (open sore) in your skin around the opening of your anus. There are several different types of procedures available, including injections with botulinum toxin, removal of the fissure (excision or fissurectomy) and sphincterotomy. We may suggest you have a procedure called a fissurectomy alongside Botox injections. This involves cutting away the damaged skin from around your anal fissure, along with any ‘sentinel’ skin tags (lumps of skin associated with the fissure).