Surgery News and Research

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"Brain Port" surgery helps remove colloid cyst in 15-week pregnant woman

A unique device developed to make brain surgery easier and less traumatic has been successfully used on a patient who was pregnant and suffering from a potentially life-threatening brain cyst. The device, called a "Brain Port," was pioneered by renowned neurosurgeon Amin Kassam, MD, Medical Director of the Neuroscience Institute at Saint John's Health Center.

19 Apr 2010

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy receives health insurance coverage

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) today announced its support of recent policy changes by Aetna Inc. and United Healthcare. The national health insurance giants will now cover laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, a newer method of bariatric surgery that is becoming increasingly popular as a treatment for morbid obesity.

19 Apr 2010

Magen Medical Solutions announces successful implantation of SpineShield anti-adhesion device

Magen Medical Solutions Ltd., a medical device company developing unique anti-adhesion devices for orthopedic applications, is pleased to announce that it has successfully implanted its first product, the SpineShield, in three patients at a clinical site in Europe.

19 Apr 2010

Biomarkers to help predict development of aggressive colorectal cancer discovered

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pathology have discovered a set of four biomarkers that will help predict which patients are more likely to develop aggressive colorectal cancer and which are not. The findings also shed light on the genetics that result in worse colorectal cancer-treatment outcomes for African-Americans, compared with Caucasians, the researchers said.

19 Apr 2010

First US implant of Interventional Spine's RENEW Interspinous Allograft Technology for LSS

Interventional Spine, Inc. today announced the first commercial implant in the United States of its RENEW™ Interspinous Allograft Technology for the Treatment of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis (LSS).

19 Apr 2010

End-of-life care documentation helps in emergency treatment decisions

When Heather Rubesch was a teenager, her aunt died in need of a kidney transplant. In later family discussions, Heather's mother, Linda, expressed some of her views about end-of-life care—for instance, her belief in organ donation.

19 Apr 2010

Surgery still the only measure to cure RCC

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for about 3% of all solid tumours in adults, and worldwide, more than 200.000 new cases and 100.000 deaths result each year from this malignancy.

19 Apr 2010

Radiolabeled hedgehog can differentiate stem-like cancer cells, identify aggressive tumors

At the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010, scientists and clinicians will present more than 6,300 abstracts dealing with innovative aspects of biology, technology and emerging therapies.

19 Apr 2010

Study reveals increased risk for cancer among Latino populations

New findings from epidemiology and observational studies show an increased risk for cancer among Latino populations, but unique demographic characteristics suggest the problem may be worse than currently known.

19 Apr 2010

EORTC 30904 study: Conservative surgery not inferior to radical renal surgery

The latest results from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 30904 study were presented in a plenary session today at the Anniversary European Association of Urology Congress in Barcelona, which showed that conservative surgery is not inferior to radical renal surgery or nephrectomy.

19 Apr 2010

Clues to molecular markers on breast tumors that may predict spread of lymph node cancer

Predicting breast cancer spread from a sentinel lymph node removed during surgery is a hit or miss affair, say researchers: there are still many false negatives, which means the node, when analyzed under a microscope, appears clean of cancer cells, but metastasis can still occur in the patient. The sentinel node is the first lymph node in the axilla that cancer spreads to.

19 Apr 2010

More physical loading may delay disc degeneration: Research

Tapio Videman says back disorders in the working population are among the most costly illnesses in developed countries around the world. Disc degeneration is the main suspected origin of severe back symptoms and the main target in spine surgery. But Videman, a researcher in the University of Alberta's Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, wants to dispute the common perception that disc degeneration is caused by physical loading, the pressure put on the spine that comes with, for example, frequent lifting.

17 Apr 2010

MEDIHONEY dressings effective in treating chronic wounds in children

Chronic, non-healing wounds can be a serious problem for children as many currently available treatment modalities can be too harsh or toxic. At the 2010 Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) and the Wound Healing Society (WHS), an international conference drawing clinicians from all over the globe which was held April 17-20 in Orlando, two clinicians presented case series illustrating the benefits of MEDIHONEY® dressings for this challenging patient population.

17 Apr 2010

TGen, Asuragen sign microRNA technology agreement for pancreatic cancer research

The Translational Genomics Research Institute and Asuragen Inc. today announced a research agreement that could lead to ways of detecting cancer before it spreads.

17 Apr 2010

EAU launches new website

The EAU recently launched its new website. Online efforts are continued under the same name: www.uroweb.org. But everything else has been redesigned in line with the latest internet trends - user-friendliness, interactivity, elegance. Prof. Manfred Wirth, EAU Executive Member Communication, says: "The EAU is a dynamic organisation.

17 Apr 2010

Open-heart surgery brings life back to 7-year-old boy

A 7-year-old boy who was brought to the United States to have his congenital heart defect repaired had successful open-heart surgery Thursday at the Children's Center at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento by pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon Teimour Nasirov, M.D., and assisted by Mohan Reddy, M.D., an internationally renowned pediatric heart surgeon from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

17 Apr 2010

Genomic portrait may predict liver cancer recurrence: Study

Results of an international clinical study conducted in Europe and the US presented today at the International Liver CongressTM 2010, the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Liver in Vienna, Austria, have identified a genomic portrait able to predict recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the fifth most common cancer in men.

17 Apr 2010

Updated clinical guidelines presented at EAU Anniversary Congress

A number of updated guidelines are presented at the Anniversary Congress of the European Association of Urology (EAU) held in Barcelona, from 16 through 20 April. The abridged versions - Pocket Guidelines - which are based on the extended text documents will also be available in Barcelona to all EAU members and press.

17 Apr 2010

SNM continues to stress the need for Congress to implement long-term fix

On April 16, the President signed a bill granting temporary relief from looming cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates. Although a positive step, the medical community-along with millions of patients-continues to face significant threats to medical coverage for critical diagnostic imaging tests and therapeutics.

17 Apr 2010

Japanese ministry approves DIQUAS Ophthalmic Solution 3% for dry eye treatment

Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare granted approval for the new dry eye treatment drug, DIQUAS Ophthalmic Solution 3% (generic name: diquafosol tetrasodium), on April 16, 2010.

From Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. 17 Apr 2010