A surgical Internet discussion list (Surginet): a novel venue for international communication among surgeons.

Background: Internet discussion lists, also known as mailing lists, are subject-specific groups that are participated in and distributed by e-mail. Medical mailing lists have not been warmly received by the peer-reviewed medical literature.

Objective: To demonstrate the potential value of medical discussion lists on the Internet through a description of Surginet, the largest such mailing list dealing with general surgery, and a survey of its participants.

Unusual isolated common bile duct injury after blunt trauma.

Isolated injury to the extrahepatic biliary tree after blunt trauma is rare. The authors describe the case of a 17-year-old boy who suffered such an injury after falling over the handlebar of his motorcycle. Ultrasonography, computed tomography and abdominal paracentesis were used to make the diagnosis.

A technical-skills course for 1st-year residents in general surgery: a descriptive study.

The proper teaching of operative skills to surgical residents is increasingly constrained by operative time, complex procedures and medicolegal concerns. A technical-skills program was developed and introduced over a 3-year period to 28 1st-year residents in general surgery. To introduce the residents to the principles of surgical techniques in a simulated environment outside the operating room, the program consisted of a combination of two didactic sessions and six "wet labs" taking 3 to 4 hours per week for 8 weeks between January and March each year.