[Smarter Medicine: From the Diagnosis to the Intervention in General and Visceral Surgery]

Smarter Medicine: From the Diagnosis to the Intervention in General and Visceral Surgery Abstract. More is not always a plus. With this slogan, in smarter medicine it is a principle to make a decision together. In general surgery diagnostic or therapeutic interventions have the potential to harm the patient. The admission to the emergency room of a young patient with abdominal pain does not necessarily require a computed tomography. A potential acute appendicitis without typical clinical and laboratory findings could potentially be unmasked by watchful waiting, or even a nonessential operation could be avoided. Possibly, acute cholecystitis or some forms of hollow organ perforation could be treated solely with antibiotics. Is it feasible to treat an acute severe diverticulitis with antibiotics only? In addition, if a colon resection is necessary, could a direct anastomosis be made, and a second operation be avoided? Are there thyroid nodules that do not need removal? The management of diseases in the surgical domain are evaluated with evidence-based medicine in the focus of smarter medicine and newly reconsidered.