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Part I

Becoming a VR Surgeon

Introduction

This part deals with the two most fundamental issues an aspiring VR surgeon faces. An ophthalmology resident should choose to become a specialist in VR surgery only if he truly understands what such a career entails – otherwise he will not live a happy life as a VR surgeon. He must have a personality that feels comfortable with the daily challenges and more-than-occasional failures the VR surgeon faces, but also be able to recharge his often-depleted emotional batteries by the daily miracles in restoring sight in diseases that not so long ago would have led to blindness. The

first chapter offers guidelines for the aspiring resident in making the right choice. Many of those who, after careful consideration, made the conscious choice to

indeed become a VR surgeon will not be able to join a formal training program because the country’s health care system does not offer one. The second chapter provides a road map on how to train “on your own.”

Should You Become a VR Surgeon?

1

 

The simplified answer is: it primarily depends on your personality. Most people prefer living a life that is mostly a series of routine activities and feel uncomfortable if they are constantly exposed to challenges, especially if these vary in nature and severity. Such people would have an unhappy life as a VR surgeon.1 Table 1.1 compares the life of the cataract surgeon with that of the VR surgeon.

In a classic joke, a car dies and the owner visits the mechanic. The mechanic opens the hood, takes a lengthy look around, then picks a hammer and whacks something under the hood – and the engine roars back to life. When asked how much his intervention costs, he says: “$100.” The owner becomes agitated, how can you charge $100 for a hammer blow? “No”, the mechanic says, “that’s $1. But to know what to whack, that’s $99.”

VR surgery is rather similar. When an experienced surgeon operates, everything looks easy and straightforward to the observer, but when it is the beginner who is sitting at the operating table and tries to proceed with the case, even the simplest maneuvers appear complex and difficult. It is crucial for the ophthalmologist who is considering becoming a VR surgeon to understand that the learning curve is steep2 and long – in fact, the learning process never stops. New indications, techniques, and technologies keep emerging, and even the experienced surgeon must constantly adapt. For those considering the VR subspecialty, it is therefore highly advisable to understand all its implications for their professional and personal lives before they enter the training program.

I remember a colleague with exceptional dexterity in removing cataracts and implanting IOLs but no regard for the rest of the eyeball.3 He once asked me to assist him in surgery: he wanted to perform vitrectomy for a macular hole on his former cataract patient. He saw ILM removal in a couple of videos and assumed that

1Even worse, their patients will be unhappy: a chronically unhappy surgeon is not able to perform.

2When I completed my fellowship with my initial mentor, the late Klaus Heimann, his farewell message was: “Don’t be discouraged, but your first 50 surgeries will end up as failures.”

3The typical phacologist.

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016

3

F. Kuhn, Vitreoretinal Surgery: Strategies and Tactics,

DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-19479-0_1

4

 

1 Should You Become a VR Surgeon?

 

 

Table 1.1 Life as a cataract vs as a VR surgeon*

 

Variable

Cataract surgeon

VR surgeon

Comment

Learning curve

Moderate

Very steep

For a VR surgeon the learning

 

 

 

process is intense and it

 

 

 

remains forever so

Sleepless nights

Almost nevera

Occasionally

Preoperatively because the

before or after

 

 

surgeon is not sure what the

surgery

 

 

best surgical approach

 

 

 

would be

 

 

 

Postoperatively because the

 

 

 

surgeon now knows he made

 

 

 

the wrong choice and it

 

 

 

resulted in an irreversibly

 

 

 

poor outcome

Difficulty in

Minimal

Moderate to

For the cataract surgeon, the

preoperative

 

extreme

diagnosis brings an almost

decision-making

 

 

automatic solution, phaco

 

 

 

and IOL implantation, and

 

 

 

the timing is also obvious:

 

 

 

as soon as feasible.

 

 

 

For the VR surgeon, this can

 

 

 

raise extremely difficult

 

 

 

questions; just think about a

 

 

 

one-eyed patient who has

 

 

 

retinitis pigmentosa and

 

 

 

develops an EMP. If

 

 

 

something goes wrong

 

 

 

during surgery, the patient

 

 

 

instantly loses (some)

 

 

 

central vision in an eye that

 

 

 

is already losing its visual

 

 

 

field; then there is the risk of

 

 

 

postoperative

 

 

 

complications. Conversely,

 

 

 

if surgery is not done, the

 

 

 

central vision will gradually

 

 

 

and irreversibly decrease

Consequences if the

None to minimal

None to extreme

Just think of a patient with an

preoperative

 

 

injury that has a high risk of

decision-making

 

 

endophthalmitis; you decide

was erroneous

 

 

to do early PPV but a

 

 

 

catastrophic ECH occurs

 

 

 

intraoperatively

Physical challenge

Minimal; mainly

Can be

My longest case (TKP-PPV for

intraoperatively

determined by

significant

a severe injury in a young

 

how many cases

 

boy) lasted 6 h and 23 min

 

the surgeon

 

 

 

decides to

 

 

 

perform on a

 

 

 

given day

 

 

 

 

 

(continued)

1 Should You Become a VR Surgeon?

 

5

 

 

 

 

Table 1.1 (continued)

 

 

 

Variable

Cataract surgeon

VR surgeon

Comment

Mental challenge

Moderate

Moderate to

During cataract surgery the

intraoperatively

 

intense

need to make a unique,

 

 

 

major decision relatively

 

 

 

rarely emerges, but in certain

 

 

 

instances real challenges do

 

 

 

exist (children,

 

 

 

pseudoexfoliation etc.).

 

 

 

In VR surgery, even in easy

 

 

 

cases (VH, see Sect. 62.1),

 

 

 

many decisions are

 

 

 

required, and some of them,

 

 

 

if they prove to have been

 

 

 

wrong, result in irreversibly

 

 

 

negative consequences

Difficulty in

Minimal to

Minimal to

Cataract surgery has to a large

intraoperative

moderate

severe

extent been standardized.

decision-making

 

 

The inter-case variability is

 

 

 

typically limited, and even

 

 

 

if the tissue reacts

 

 

 

differently to that expected,

 

 

 

the solution is usually a

 

 

 

readily available one.

 

 

 

Even in an easycase, the VR

 

 

 

surgeon must make several

 

 

 

decisions that are

 

 

 

individualized to that

 

 

 

particular patient/eyeball.

 

 

 

In more difficult cases the

 

 

 

number of decisions can be

 

 

 

almost infinite

Tissue reaction to the

Typically as

As expected or

The nucleus may be as soft as

surgeon’s action

expected

very different

predicted or much harder.

 

 

 

During vitreoretinal separation

 

 

 

the retina may prove as

 

 

 

resistant to traction as

 

 

 

assumed or it may tear at

 

 

 

the weakest traction force

Consequences if the

Minimal to

Minimal to

Certain errors can easily be

intraoperative

moderateb

extreme

corrected (an equatorial

decision-making

 

 

retinal tear has been caused

was erroneous

 

 

during too forceful PVD);

 

 

 

others can result in

 

 

 

irreversible loss of vision

 

 

 

(tearing the fovea during

 

 

 

EMP removal)

 

 

 

(continued)

6

 

1 Should You Become a VR Surgeon?

 

 

 

 

Table 1.1 (continued)

 

 

 

Variable

Cataract surgeon

VR surgeon

Comment

Expected success

Very high/excellent

Low to

The cataract surgeon is

rate/prognosis

 

high/good to

disappointed if full vision is

 

 

poor

not restorede or not restored

 

 

 

rapidlyf

 

 

 

In certain pathologies (macular

 

 

 

hole, EMP etc.) excellent

 

 

 

visual recovery can be

 

 

 

expected if surgery is done

 

 

 

well and early. In others

 

 

 

(PVR, submacular

 

 

 

hemorrhage etc.) the success

 

 

 

rate is low and/or the

 

 

 

recurrence or complication

 

 

 

rate high (see Fig. 11.1)

Apparent success rate

Very high

Low

This is a bias, although it may

 

 

 

not be obvious to the VR

 

 

 

surgeon: his patients are

 

 

 

much less likely to come

 

 

 

back for longer-term

 

 

 

follow-up if surgery was

 

 

 

successful. His failures, on

 

 

 

the other hand, keep

 

 

 

returning

Intraoperative

None to low

None to

For the cataract surgeon, these

complication rate

 

moderate

complications are rare and

 

 

 

mild, and even if they occur,

 

 

 

the solution is usually at

 

 

 

hand

 

 

 

The VR surgeon faces an

 

 

 

endless list of potential

 

 

 

complications, some of

 

 

 

which may be rare or severe

 

 

 

enough not to have a readily

 

 

 

available solution

Postoperative

None to low

None to infinite

A stand-alone booklet can be

complication rate

 

 

written about the list of

 

 

 

potential complications

 

 

 

following VR surgery

 

 

 

(see Chap. 64)

Severity of early

None to lowc

None to extreme For the cataract surgeon, the

postoperative

 

 

only truly vision-threatening

complication(s)

 

 

risk is endophthalmitis

 

 

 

The list of even the very serious

 

 

 

complications after VR

 

 

 

surgery is rather long:

 

 

 

endophthalmitis, high IOP

 

 

 

due to gas expansion, severe

 

 

 

VH, RD, PVR etc.

 

 

 

(continued)

1 Should You Become a VR Surgeon?

 

7

 

 

 

 

Table 1.1 (continued)

 

 

 

Variable

Cataract surgeon

VR surgeon

Comment

Reoperation(s)

Very rared

Rather common

For the VR surgeon, this is true

 

 

 

even if his initial job was

 

 

 

well done

Patient satisfaction

High

Low to high

For the VR surgeon, this is one

 

 

 

of the reasons why

 

 

 

preoperative counseling is

 

 

 

so imperative: the patient

 

 

 

should know before surgery

 

 

 

what to reasonably expect

 

 

 

and why his cooperation

 

 

 

with the surgeons

 

 

 

instructions is so crucial

Threat of lawsuit

Very low

Low to moderate

For the VR surgeon, this is one

against the surgeon

 

 

of the reasons why

 

 

 

preoperative counseling is

 

 

 

so imperative: the patient

 

 

 

should know before surgery

 

 

 

what to reasonably expect

 

 

 

and why his cooperation

 

 

 

with the surgeons

 

 

 

instructions is so crucial; he

 

 

 

must also understand and

 

 

 

appreciate how difficult the

 

 

 

surgeons task is

Intellectual reward

None to high

None to extreme This is a personality-dependent

 

 

 

issue. The phacologist looks

 

 

 

at how many cases he did

 

 

 

during the day; the cataract

 

 

 

surgeon proudly looks at

 

 

 

how many patients had their

 

 

 

sight restored by him

 

 

 

Saving vision even in routine

 

 

 

VR cases means great

 

 

 

satisfaction. Nothing is as

 

 

 

rewarding for the VR

 

 

 

surgeon than improving the

 

 

 

patients chances for being

 

 

 

able to see (or even keeping

 

 

 

the eyeball) in cases where

 

 

 

everybody has given up hope

 

 

 

(continued)

8

 

1

Should You Become a VR Surgeon?

 

 

 

 

Table 1.1 (continued)

 

 

 

Variable

Cataract surgeon

VR surgeon

Comment

Financial reward

Decent

Lower then

This, of course, depends on

 

 

decent

many factors: health care

 

 

 

system in the country, the

 

 

 

type of practice, the number

 

 

 

of cases performed etc.

 

 

 

The VR surgeon may be more

 

 

 

rewarded than his cataract

 

 

 

colleague per case, but his

 

 

 

caseload is much lower

*Nothing in this book implies that the VR surgeon has any type of supremacy over the cataract surgeon; cataract removal with IOL implantation is the most successful surgery on the human body and with good reason: great cataract surgeons have perfected it beyond expectation. My already high personal appreciation was only increased when I underwent, on both eyes, cataract surgery myself, done by an excellent cataract surgeon. Conversely, I do harbor hard feelings for that minority of cataract surgeons whom some call “phacologist”: those for whom the patient is a lens walking on two legs, waiting for extraction and in-the-bag IOL placement. Such phacologists do not recognize that “there is life behind the posterior capsule” and thus have no respect for the retina or the eye in general (see the Appendix, Part 2).

aOne of the exceptions is a major intraoperative bleeding from the choroid (ECH) and consequent loss of the eye.

bProvided the cataract surgeon makes the correct choice: he does not fish for lens particles (see Sect. 44.1.1) lost into the vitreous or he does not carry on with the surgery even though a choroidal hemorrhage is occurring (see Sect. 40.1).

cExcept: endophthalmitis.

dYAG capsulectomy is not considered as a reoperation.

eWhich is rarely the result of the cataract surgery but due to some VR pathology such as AMD. fCorneal edema due to increased phaco time because of a hard nucleus.

this is exactly like a capsulorhexis: you take a forceps and tear off a membrane.4 What he did not understand is that success in VR surgery is primarily determined not by the hand (dexterity) but by the brain, which gives instructions to the hand (see Sect. 4.2).

Pearl

Whatever instruction the brain gives to a trained VR surgeon’s hands, it is very likely that the hands will be able to execute that decision and without causing significant iatrogenic mechanical damage. Conversely, one may have the most delicate hands, but if the instruction is false, failure is inevitable. An obvious example is ILM removal: the surgeon must be aware of how to grab the membrane, recognize via visual feedback how deep the jaws are biting, how to pull on the membrane (vectors), at what speed etc. (see Sect. 32.1). All trained VR surgeons should possess the hands to carry out any maneuver with relatively little difficulty.

4 Similarly, an inexperienced VR surgeon should not, unless assisted by an experienced mentor, undertake removal of an EMP – I have seen eyes after such attempts with an intact EMP but with central retinal tears as the inexperienced surgeon grabbed retina instead of epiretinal tissue.

1 Should You Become a VR Surgeon?

9

 

 

Aspiring VR surgeons must understand what their future life will be like, but also how complex the training is (see Chap. 2), and not embark on this road unless they are prepared to accept the hardship.5

One of the peculiarities of the VR surgeon’s life is the relatively high number of returning patients. They usually come back because of a complication. (Those, and this is the majority, who had been cured forever with one operation are much less likely to return.) The VR surgeon is therefore exposed to a “selection bias” on his outpatient (clinic) days: there will many more patients to be seen with “a problem” than without.

The VR surgeon occasionally sees patients who arrive with a condition that other colleagues deemed inoperable, but the patient does not want to give up hope and keeps searching for a surgeon who is willing to try. Successful intervention in such a case is what helps the surgeon recharge his drained emotional battery.

A VR surgeon is not a surgeon of the retina and vitreous; he is a surgeon of the eyeball.6 To be able to properly deal with posterior segment problems, he must also be able to treat corneal diseases, perform a PK, suture the iris, remove the lens and implant an IOL, recognize the causes of secondary glaucoma etc.7

Ophthalmologists who understand these caveats and accept their implications will have a richly rewarded emotional and spiritual life as VR surgeons. If they do not, will they be very unhappy – and so will their patients.

5I know of several fellows who entered into a program only to give up after a few months; more was lost for them than the time wasted.

6More precisely, surgeon of a person (see Chap. 5).

7Some, although not all, of these are therefore discussed in this book, even if such topics do not regularly get detailed in publications dedicated to VR surgery.

How to Train as a VR Surgeon Outside

2

a Formal Fellowship

Ophthalmology residents who decide to become a VR surgeon have at least some experience in performing anterior segment surgery, mainly cataract extraction. Such a background provides a good basis for specializing in posterior segment work – but no more than a foundation for it.

Training for VR surgery is a long, indeed never-ending, process. If the ophthalmologist is fortunate enough to live in one of the few countries in which formal schooling (fellowship) is available, his path to becoming a trained VR surgeon is charted. Most residents, however, will not have access to such tried-and-tested programs and must design their training program themselves. This chapter provides guidelines for such an endeavor.1

Pearl

For someone aspiring to become a VR surgeon, the importance of proper training cannot be overemphasized. Without such training many operations will end in failure for the surgeon and visual loss for the patient. Repeating the same erroneous intravitreal maneuvers will predictably result in the same tragic outcome. Facing failure after failure, these surgeons will eventually give up VR surgery, at the cost of blind patients and the loss of self-confidence.

1 All trainees are called fellow in this book.

 

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016

11

F. Kuhn, Vitreoretinal Surgery: Strategies and Tactics,

 

DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-19479-0_2

 

12

2 How to Train as a VR Surgeon Outside a Formal Fellowship

 

 

2.1The “To-Do” List2

The fellow should do all of the following:

Select an experienced and willing VR surgeon3 at the fellow’s institution, who will serve as a mentor for the entire training period (see the Appendix, Part 1).

Read the most important books and articles on VR surgery – the mentor should help with the selection process.

Attend meetings where peers, preferably from the international community, discuss the latest development in the VR field.4

Spend the maximum possible time with the mentor,5 examining patients in the outpatient department. Many a pathology will be seen and you should understand how the decision whether the condition in that particular patient is amenable for surgery is made.6

Follow the patient after PPV, preferably long term. This helps recognizing complications and their treatment, and also, in retrospect, to see whether the decision to go to surgery was correct.

Assist in surgery as often as possible.7 Assisting, again, must never be spent by passively staring at the microscope or monitor (see Table 2.1). As always, the more experience gained, the easier and more useful such observing/assisting becomes.8

It is highly advisable to learn from more than a single surgeon, however good he is. Different surgeons have different approaches to the same problem, and, optimally, the fellow is exposed to a variety of options. Even when the fellow sees something “horrifying,” it is helpful: he now definitely knows that he will never do this in his own practice.

2Taking notes throughout the entire training process is crucial, for two reasons. (1) The human brain is not a storage facility. Instead of trying to memorize the received information, whether major strategy-related issues or useful surgical tricks, it is best to preserve them electronically, in an organized system that best suits the fellow’s own logic and allows searching. (2) There is a huge difference between active and passive knowledge; taking notes makes the learning process active, as opposed to just listening or reading, both of which are passive.

3Do not expect that everybody around you will treat you well (see the Appendix, Part 2).

4Obviously, some of the lectures will at the beginning be way above the level of the fellow. This difficult initial period will not last very long, and the fellow should not be discouraged if he has problems understanding all he hears (or reads). If the information is conflicting, it may simply be due to the complexity of the field, not a sign of his incompetence.

5Shadowing. You should bombard him with questions, and while remaining respectful, do not hesitate to challenge him (see the Appendix, Part 2).

6The mentor’s decision is to some extent subjective; others may choose a different option in the same situation (see the Preface, Sect. 11.4, and Chaps. 8, 9, and 10).

7If this is not allowed or possible during a visit, at least observe closely, as if you were assisting.

8Imagine two people being taken by a football fan to a game: one of them understands it, the other has never seen one. Even though these two people will see exactly the same events unfolding in front of their eyes, one will be able to share exciting moments after the game with the fan (“Did you see how player X passed the ball in the 40th min with his heel?” – “Yes, it was fantastic”). The inexperienced person will have no idea what the other two are talking about. The image of that heel-pass was cast on his retina, but his brain did not register it.

2.1 The “To-Do” List

13

 

Table 2.1 The rules of assisting/observing in VR surgerya

Element

Comment

Talk to the surgeon

Explain to him that you came to learn and that you are very interested

before the

in what he is going to do; ask him if he is comfortable with you

operation

asking lots of questionsb

The condition of the

Note the anatomical relationships; formulate a strategic goal (what the

eye

eye’s condition at the end of the operation should be) and then the

 

tactical goals (the tissue manipulations needed to achieve that final

 

anatomical condition). Of these two basic categories, initially the

 

second is more obvious; as the experience grows, the strategic issues

 

will gain importancec

The surgeon’s next

Try to expect what this move will be (what you would do in this

move

situation). There are two possibilities, detailed next

Move is what you

Be proud of yourself

expected

 

Move is not what you

This is the moment of truth: if you are able to figure out why his move

expected

was not what you expected, you learned something

 

If you cannot determine why the surgeon acted differently from your

 

expectation, you must ask him why he did what he didd

Asking the surgeon

Most surgeons will not be willing to answer you during the operation.

“why”

You must make a mental note (if you are assisting) or a quick written

 

one (if you are observing) about the exact situation and how the

 

surgeon’s action diverged from your expectation, and ask him after

 

the operation

 

A few surgeons are willing to answer the question right there and then.

 

These are the surgeons you will benefit from the most since you can

 

instantly learn something

 

A few surgeons actually encourage you to comment, not simply answer

 

your questions; this is the absolute best option since it makes your

 

newly gained experience a truly active one. These are the surgeons

 

you should often revisit

 

Conversely, some surgeons will not answer you at all or give you an

 

obviously bogus answer. Leave him

aThe distinction is that during observation the fellow follows the surgery on the monitor or, if he is able to have access to it, through the microscope. If he is allowed to scrub in and actually act as an assistant, the experience is enhanced.

bMake sure you select your words very carefully if the patient is awake during the operation (see

Chap. 15).

cThese goals are discussed in Parts IV and V. dSee Sect. 3.4.

The best possible scenario is to visit numerous surgeons/institutions over time.9 The fellow does not have to spend a lot of time with/at each; a week or 2 usually suffices. Ideally, he arrives with lots of questions, gets answers, goes home, and continues the learning process in his own practice; with time he will have more questions and then visit another surgeon for answers and for a different experience.

9 See Sect. 3.4 about the behavior of the fellow in the ORs he is visiting.

14

2 How to Train as a VR Surgeon Outside a Formal Fellowship

 

 

Q&A

Q How should the fellow select which other surgeons to visit and observe?

AThe surgeon should obviously be knowledgeable – but it is equally important for him to be willing to help, answer all questions, and explain things; in short, he must not only be an experienced surgeon but also be a decent person.

The process of observing is not restricted to what is happening inside the eye. It is also crucial to take note, among others, of the following:

The surgeon’s posture and seating arrangement (see Chap. 16).

How he holds the instruments with three, not with two, fingers (see Sect. 20.1).

How he hands instruments to, and accepts instruments from, the nurse while he never looks outside the microscope (see Fig. 35.1).

How he supports the actions of the hand performing the maneuver with his other hand (see Fig. 2.1).

Watching unedited videotapes of surgeries performed by the fellow himself as well as by other surgeons is a great teaching tool (see Sect. 11.3).

Once you gained some experience performing surgery yourself, find a mentor who is willing to observe you (ideally, assist you), serving as your coach. Nothing is as valuable as an experienced surgeon who shares his practical expertise with you this way – as long as he does it in optimally (see the Appendix, Part 1).

Fig. 2.1 One hand supported by the other. The surgeon is performing maneuvers in the AC: the probe must be inserted through a temporal paracentesis because it has to be held in the horizontal plane. In this particular case it means that the probe is held in the surgeon’s nondominant hand; his dominant hand is used to provide extra stability and increased precision for maneuvering with the probe

2.1 The “To-Do” List

15

 

 

Table 2.2 provides a brief summary to help the fellow design his own training program.

Table 2.2 The elements of a self-designed VR fellowship program*

Element

Comment

Books, articles

These represent a readily available source that should often be

 

consulted

Internet

It is useful to know “what’s out there”; however, websites that are not

 

written by professionals for professionals in a verifiable manner

 

should never be used as a source for learning

Attending VR

The usefulness of such meetings increases as the fellow gains

meetings

experience. The meetings, even at the onset of the training

 

program, however, provide physical access to, meeting with,

 

potential mentors. Exchange of ideas with peers is another benefit,

 

whether related to information/knowledge about VR surgery or the

 

training process

Active participation in

Examining patients, assisting in surgery, following patients who

own institution’s

underwent PPV, postgraduate courses, clinical research

VR activities

 

Observing/assisting in

This should never be a passive observation but an active one: the

surgery

fellow should think along and try to predict the surgeon’s next step

 

(see Table 2.1). Furthermore, observation is not restricted to

 

intraocular manipulations; everything must be noticed from

 

anesthesia to how the nurses assist the surgeon or how the surgeon

 

holds the instruments in his hand

“Why?”

The fellow must develop an attitude so that he never accepts anything

 

he is told without consciously contemplating it, and, if he has

 

doubts or disagreements, is ready to voice these – regardless of

 

who the “authority” that told him that particular thing is (see the

 

Appendix, Part 2)

Note-taking

This is a nonstop process; the notes must be kept in a single place

 

(one electronic file, one booklet) and be arranged logically and

 

constantly updated. The electronic version has the advantage of

 

being searchable

The messenger

It is a common problem that speakers/tutors are unable to place

 

themselves in the shoes of the audience or the fellow, and try to

 

explain things on a level that is far above the one that the audience/

 

fellow is able to perceive. Even if the fellow finds a knowledgeable

 

and helpful surgeon, if this person is unable to communicate in a

 

manner that is “on level,” the fellow is better off not spending time

 

with him

Visiting other surgeons

To select which surgeon to visit is not an easy task. The surgeon must

 

not only be a respectable expert but one who is willing to help; one

 

who explains things and does so on a level that the fellow actually

 

understands (see above); one who does not give bogus answers to

 

the fellow’s questions just so that all questions are answered,

 

regardless of the answers’ truthfulness; and one who is willing to

 

maintain a long-term relationship with the fellow: he remains

 

available to be consulted via email, SMS, or the telephone (Skype)

 

(continued)

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