Surgery News and Research

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Research agreement to advance new imaging technology

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and T.I.E.S., LLC, a Rochester-based start-up company, have entered into a research partnership to evaluate a new technology that could ultimately represent a major advance in medical imaging.

29 Mar 2007

MRI improves breast cancer diagnosis

Women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer in one breast have a higher risk of contracting the disease in their opposite breast as well. A thorough examination of the opposite breast using mammography and ultrasound is therefore common practice. However, many tumours still remain undetected when using mammography.

28 Mar 2007

Plavix appears to be safe during and after heart bypass

Heart surgeons don't have to choose between taking a coronary-bypass patient off the popular anti-clotting drug clopidogrel (Plavix) after off-pump heart bypass surgery or having the patient bleed excessively in the days following surgery, according to a new study by researchers at Jefferson Medical College.

28 Mar 2007

Medications plus lifestyle changes work as well as angioplasty to reduce deaths in stable heart-disease patients

Coronary revascularization with stenting or balloon angioplasty combined with optimal medical therapy is no more effective in preventing a heart attack, other major cardiovascular events or death in patients with stable heart disease, than optimal medical therapy alone, results of a new study conducted in 50 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada has shown.

27 Mar 2007

Males had more than a million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in 2006

Surprisingly, the overall number of male cosmetic plastic surgery procedures declined by 7 percent; however, there was growth in minimally invasive procedures that provide volume in the face and in surgical procedures for a more toned body.

22 Mar 2007

Screening key to early detection of colorectal cancers

Studies show that only half of the people who are at risk of colon and rectal cancers are getting screened regularly.

21 Mar 2007

Surgical treatment comparison for spinal disease

Patients with serious degenerative spinal disease, a painful condition in which the normal function of spinal vertebrae breaks down, are presented with what can be a confusing array of surgical options.

21 Mar 2007

Tiny injected gel particles to help chronic lower back pain

Scientists at The University of Manchester believe injections of tiny sponge-like particles could provide an alternative to major surgery in the treatment of chronic lower back pain.

From The University of Manchester 21 Mar 2007

Hand transplant patient returns home

David F. Savage, the third person in the United States to receive a human hand transplant, will return home to Bay City, Michigan this weekend.

15 Mar 2007

Trial of new therapy for pancreatic cancer

Patients in Liverpool are to trial a new therapy for pancreatic cancer - a disease which sees most sufferers die within a year of diagnosis.

15 Mar 2007

Obese patients have a significantly higher risk of complications following surgery

The study, appearing in the March issue of the World Journal of Surgery, also found that morbidly obese patients had a death rate nearly twice as high as that of all other patients, as well as a higher rate of cardiac arrest.

13 Mar 2007

FDA strengthens safety information for Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a public health advisory outlining new safety information, including revised product labeling about erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), widely-used drugs for the treatment of anemia.

11 Mar 2007

Life expectancy doubled for advanced prostate cancer patients

After being diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, many men are told that their disease is untreatable and that less aggressive treatment is best.

11 Mar 2007

More synergy in public health between Methodist-Houston and Weill Cornell

A noted authority in health services research, critical care and geriatric medicine, Dr. Marc D. Silverstein has been appointed chairman of a newly created Department of Public Health at The Methodist Hospital in Houston.

11 Mar 2007

Lipitor given the green light for more heart risk patients

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has given approval for the best seller drug Lipitor to be used in five new categories.

8 Mar 2007

Women from poor backgrounds fare worse with breast cancer

Women from more deprived backgrounds have worse treatment and a lower breast cancer survival rate than their more affluent counterparts - according to a new study published by Cancer Research UK in the British Journal of Cancer.

7 Mar 2007

Arm yourself with knowledge before plastic surgery

Despite the fact that 8 out of 10 patients who have plastic surgery are happy with the results, nearly 40 percent wish they had done better research before the operation with regard to the potential side effects and complications.

6 Mar 2007

The model for end-stage liver disease

A review of the studies on the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) found that it is an accurate predictor of survival of patients with a variety of liver diseases, is particularly useful in allocating organs for liver transplants, and can also be used to help determine the course of treatment in certain cases. However, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the model and efforts at refining will continue.

5 Mar 2007

Life-saving cancer genetic testing vastly underutilized

A study released today at the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists 38th Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer found few patients were aware of genetic cancer syndromes and the high risk of developing cancer if genetic mutations were found. Fewer still were motivated to follow up on this information with their own healthcare provider or genetic counseling/testing services.

5 Mar 2007

Translaminar technique reduces neck pain without significant risk of paralysis

In the largest series of patients to date, recent research shows that the translaminar approach to cervical spinal steroid injections can reduce neck pain in eighty-three percent of those treated.

5 Mar 2007