Bangalore: Are you being treated for recurrent epileptic fits and do not know how to control it? Is your chest pain a sign of a problem going undiagnosed?

Many a time, complex ailments go undetected and only their symptoms are treated because doctors fail to make the right diagnosis.

Moreover, a lot of patients may not get the right information about the ailment they are suffering from and the indications.

With a view to addressing these problems and to remove doubts about certain rare medical conditions that can be corrected through surgery, a website, www.hitechsurgery.com, was launched by a team of doctors here a couple of days ago.

It carries details about advanced surgery techniques such as weight-loss, or bariatric, surgery (for obesity), laparoscopic/keyhole/minimally invasive surgery, dermatological or cosmetic procedures for skin ailments and specialised operations for rare endocrinal disorders.

The website, a pioneering effort by P.S. Venkatesh Rao, endocrinal and laparoscopic surgeon, aims at educating patients and creating awareness among them about certain complex ailments to prevent wrong diagnosis.

Most of the details are given in simple language with minimal technical jargon and are in the question and answer format.

"We have been treating various tumours for the past 10 years which are rare. And very often, these ailments are misdiagnosed, or only their symptoms are treated, causing agony to the patient. I had a lot of patients who said that correct information should be passed on to people who would want to know more about these ailments and the treatment. That is why we launched this website," said Dr. Rao, a consultant at Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital, M.S. Ramaiah and Columbia Asia Hospital and former faculty member at Christian Medical College, Vellore and All-India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Insulinoma is a tiny tumour in the pancreas, an organ for digestion and preventing diabetes.

It produces excess insulin, which dangerously lowers blood sugar levels, may cause a desire to eat frequently, and cause stomach discomfort, dizziness and fits.

"Most of the time, the patient is treated for the fits rather than removing the tumour. We have been doing this surgery for some time now," Dr. Rao said.

Acid reflux is a condition wherein the one-way sphincter at the upper end of the stomach is ineffective and permits acid to flow upwards and causes damage to the food tube (causing heartburn and chest pain), breathing tube (causing asthma), throat (causing frequent sore throat and sinusitis), and mouth (causing erosion and sensitive teeth). The website shows how a simple, but hi-tech surgery can correct the problem.

Goitre, adrenal tumours, cosmetic surgeries, and surgeries using video and other hi-tech methods are also discussed on the website.

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