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Shoulder arthroplasty to relieve pain has no greater risk of complications than replacement of other major joints

Contrary to widespread belief, total surgical replacement of arthritic shoulder joints carries no greater risk of complications than replacement of other major joints, a Johns Hopkins study suggests.

3 Apr 2007

Guidelines for obstetric anesthesia revised

Recognizing that each patient's labor and delivery experience is unique, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Practice Guidelines for Obstetric Anesthesia were recently revised to enhance the quality of anesthetic care for obstetric patients, improve patient safety by reducing the incidence and severity of anesthesia-related complications, and increase patient satisfaction.

2 Apr 2007

Performing x-rays using iodine dye increases risk for kidney failure

Performing x-rays using iodine dye places patients with impaired kidney function at increased risk for kidney failure. Known as Contrast-Induced Nephropathy (ne-FROPP-a- thee) or ''CIN,'' this complication is the third most common cause of hospital-acquired kidney failure in the United States and Europe, accounting for 10-12 percent of all such cases.

1 Apr 2007

Cryoablation for kidney tumor patients shows promise

Mayo Clinic researchers report that freezing kidney tumors through percutaneous cryoablation shows promise for patients who are not good candidates for surgery.

30 Mar 2007

Treating congenital heart defects in babies still in the womb

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital reviewed the cases of 80 fetuses who had prenatal cardiac interventions during a six-year period (most often to avert hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

30 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

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

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

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

New surgical technique decreases colorectal 'OR' time

For patients with colorectal cancer who require the surgical removal of a part of their colon (colectomy), an experimental procedure that combines the benefits of laparoscopic surgery and open surgery may decrease the time they spend in the operating room.

4 Mar 2007

New combined laparoscopy and colonoscopy procedure at NYPH/Weill Cornell

A small number of patients diagnosed with polyps in their large intestine have extensive or difficult-to-remove polyps, such as those that are flattened against the colon wall or in hard-to-reach places. As with all polyps that may develop into malignant cancers, they must be removed.

4 Mar 2007

Surgery, shock waves both effective for removing kidney stones

Two common methods for removing kidney stones - surgery and shock wave treatments - are effective and safe, and neither is clearly superior to the other, researchers report in a new systematic review of studies. But these conclusions aren't based on particularly strong data, the researchers say.

1 Mar 2007

Prostate brachytherapy causes fewer side effects than surgery

Men with prostate cancer have a slightly better long-term side effects profile with radiation seed implants than they do with surgery, according to a study released today in the International Journal for Radiation Oncology-Biology-Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.

28 Feb 2007