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Confusion over Lasik eye surgery terminology

The Eye Surgery Education Council of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Foundation today issued a clarification on the use of the terms "wavefront-guided," and "wavefront-optimized" in connection with laser-based procedures (LASIK, PRK, etc.) and implantable lenses used for vision correction purposes.

20 Dec 2004

Landmark revascularization procedure

The People's Hospital of Beijing University performed a combined revascularization procedure utilizing beating heart bypass surgery, along with transmyocardial revascularization and stem cell implantation.

13 Dec 2004

Cardiovascular experts issue blueprint for safer X-Ray imaging

Millions of invasive cardiovascular procedures that involve the use of potentially hazardous X-rays are done in the United States each year.

8 Dec 2004

Cardiac surgery mortality rates continue to decline

New Jersey’s sixth cardiac surgery report card shows that mortality rates continued to decline in 2001 to the lowest levels since reporting began in the state, Health and Senior Services Commissioner Clifton R. Lacy, M.D., announced yesterday.

7 Dec 2004

New surgical procedure enables men born with a very small penis to acquire an average-sized one

A surgical procedure being pioneered by University College London (UCL) urologists is enabling men born with a very small penis to acquire an average-sized, functioning penis which not only allows them to urinate normally, but for many, to enjoy a full sex life for the first time.

6 Dec 2004

Smoking, a major problem in plastic surgery

Smoking is known to cause heart disease and cancer, but most patients do not know that smoking can harm the chances of having successful plastic surgery operations.

6 Dec 2004

Heart Hospital begins experimental cell therapy

Physicians at the Heart Hospital became the first team in the UK to treat a patient with an experimental new therapy designed to repair damage to cardiac muscle resulting from a heart attack. If successful, this treatment would give doctors the ability to improve the hearts of people with heart failure, rather than just treating the symptoms.

6 Dec 2004

System helps physicians prevent radiation-induced skin injuries to patients

The threading of slender catheters and stents through arteries to deliver treatments to the heart, the brain and elsewhere in the body has produced nothing short of a medical revolution.

4 Dec 2004

Virtual colonoscopy raises issues for further study

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has reacted with caution to claims of the benefits of computed tomography (CT) colonography, also referred to as virtual colonoscopy, compared to standard colonoscopy.

29 Nov 2004

Bypass surgery on a beating heart is an excellent option for many patients with blocked heart arteries

Bypass surgery on a beating heart is an excellent option for many patients with blocked heart arteries, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

24 Nov 2004

Revolutionary new procedure an alternative to spinal fusion

With the FDA's recent approval of an artificial disc that makes spinal fusion "a thing of the past," one nationally renowned spine surgeon is receiving a flood of phone calls from patients interested in seeking relief from chronic back pain.

24 Nov 2004

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to treat major depression

Psychiatrists at Rush University Medical Center are testing a noninvasive technique that uses repeated short bursts of magnetic energy to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to treat major depression.

20 Nov 2004

More clinical trials needed to evaluate the benefits of complementary therapies for cancer patients

Prof Leslie Walker says that many people benefit from relaxation therapy, hypnotherapy and guided imagery in which patients are taught to visualise their bodies' defences vanquishing tumours and promoting good health.

18 Nov 2004

The United States has seen a steep rise in caesareans to women with no reported medical risk

Researchers analysed information on four million births per year between 1991 and 2001, identifying mothers with no medical risk or labour and delivery complication noted on the birth certificate. From this group of mothers, they examined those cases where mothers had a first-time caesarean.

18 Nov 2004

Pioneering surgical technique for treatment of breast cancer

Women in Britain with breast cancer will soon benefit from a pioneering surgical technique developed by Professor Robert Mansel and his team at Cardiff University, Wales College of Medicine in the UK.

16 Nov 2004

Hysteroscopic sterilization will save patients money compared to laparoscopic tubal ligation

Mayo Clinic gynecologists have discovered that hysteroscopic sterilization, a new method of plugging the fallopian tubes to prevent conception, will save patients money compared to laparoscopic tubal ligation, the most commonly used method of sterilization for women.

14 Nov 2004

Plastic surgeons can reduce breast augmentation re-operation rate by over 15 percent

Plastic surgeons can reduce breast implant re-operations in augmentation patients to 3 percent by following a new system of decision and management algorithms, according to a study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery® (PRS)

10 Nov 2004

Second successful human ovarian to arm transplant in the world

A new study finds surgery to transplant an ovary to the upper arm is feasible and preserves hormonal function in women undergoing treatment for cervical cancer.

8 Nov 2004

Treatment to control gastroesophageal reflux disease in children found to be ineffective

According to a study published in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, more than 60 percent of the children who received surgical fundoplication to control gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) had recurring symptoms of the disease months following surgery.

4 Nov 2004

The ethics of face transplants

The ethics of face transplants is among the issues to be discussed at the World Congress of Bioethics, which will be hosted by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) next week.

4 Nov 2004