Feature Channels: Surgery

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Findings from tissue engineering research done at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, may one day lead to the restoration of the sense of touch to patients fitted with prosthetic hands, in addition to improving the function of the devices. Based on work with troops wounded in the Middle East, the resulting interface is one step in overcoming the limitations of existing robotic prosthetics.

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Mayo Clinic surgical researchers are reporting a 93 percent success rate in recent animal tests of endoscopic repair of perforated ulcers.

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Prosthetic hand devices used by wounded soldiers have limited motor control and no sensory feedback. But a bioengineered interface, developed at the University of Michigan and made of muscle cells and a nano-sized polymer, could go a long way in creating prostheses that move like a normal hand. Animal studies show the interface may possibly restore a sense of touch.

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A newer, less expensive drug used to suppress the immune system and prevent organ rejection in kidney and pancreas transplant patients works just as well as its much more expensive counterpart, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

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Surgeons from the University of Chicago Medical Center Comer Children’s Hospital have used robotic surgery to reduce both post-operative pain and recovery time following an operation to correct spina bifida-related bladder dysfunction in children. The results of this first-time application of minimally invasive robotic surgery for the affected patient population may lead to more common usage of this method.

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Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, are studying the effects of a bioengineered treatment used to target pancreatic cancer without damaging non-cancerous cells. Using a “Trojan Horse” methodology, the investigators developed a concept that could prolong and improve the quality of life for patients.

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Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles are studying the role of certain molecules in the treatment of angiogenesis in pancreatic cancer. The findings could have implications for halting the development of malignancy-nourishing blood vessels and for creating a new approach to targeting angiogenesis in a more powerful way.

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Older women who receive rehabilitation services after hip surgery from a variety of health care professionals as inpatients are slightly more likely to do better than those who receive usual hospital care.

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There is concern that mastectomy is over-utilized in the United States, which raises questions about the role of surgeons and patient preference in treatment selection for breast cancer. New data from an observational study published in the October 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

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In a first-of-its-kind procedure used a robotic catheter to save a patient’s transplanted lung.

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Dr. Gerald Lawrie, one of the world’s most experienced cardiac valve surgeons, has developed a new approach to the surgical treatment of Barlow’s disease, a condition that severely damages the mitral valve and causes a backward flow of blood between chambers in the heart.

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Researchers have developed a virtual surgery tool that allows heart surgeons to manipulate 3D cardiac magnetic resonance images of a patient's specific anatomy to select the best approach before entering the operating room. In the August issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, the researchers detail how the tool helped them plan the surgery of a four-year-old girl born with just one functional ventricle.

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Hispanic children diagnosed with brain tumors get high-quality treatment at hospitals that specialize in neurosurgery far less often than other children with the same condition, potentially compromising their immediate prognosis and long-term survival, according to research from Johns Hopkins published in October’s Pediatrics.

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With the rising popularity of bariatric surgery (BS), there is an increasing need for patients and their doctors to recognize and prevent the potential complications from this weight loss procedure. Neurological complications are one of the risks, and recent studies show that appropriate preventative measures and a multidisciplinary approach can largely prevent the development of postoperative nerve damage, also known as peripheral neuropathy (PN).

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Many skin cancer patients fare just as well when surgeons remove about one inch of normal-looking tissue around the lesion instead of a larger safety margin, according to a new systematic review.

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As seniors may face additional complications from anesthesia, the best defense is to be Informed, have support and be prepared. The American Society of Anesthesiologists encourages patients and their caregivers to use these tips to prepare for their surgery.

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Patients who have their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructed are more likely to have subsequent knee surgery if they are women or are treated by a surgeon who does a low volume of ACL reconstructions, according to a study, conducted by investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery.

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Most comprehensive study to date on ACL surgery finds younger patients and women are more likely to need subsequent surgery.

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Kidneys recovered from deceased donors with acute renal failure (ARF) – once deemed unusable for transplant – appear to work just as well as kidneys transplanted from deceased donors who do not develop kidney problems prior to organ donation, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

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The largest single-institution study of its kind has found few complications in prostate cancer patients treated with radiotherapy after surgery to remove the prostate. Men in this study received radiotherapy after a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test following surgery indicated their cancer had recurred.

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Recent advances in diagnostic imaging techniques and hip arthroscopy procedures are giving physicians better tools with which to treat hip pain. The International Society for Hip Arthroscopy meeting, hosted by Hospital for Special Surgery, brings together surgeons from all over the world to take an in-depth look at hip arthroscopy and its potential benefits.

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The October issue of the journal Anesthesiology contains a study reviewing potential adverse effects associated with the timing of a patient’s heart surgery; but based on this study, there is no bad time of the day or week or year to have elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

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A new technique for reconstructing the palate after surgery for tonsil cancer maintained patients’ ability to speak clearly and eat most foods, a new study shows.

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Physicians at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York became the first in the U.S. to ablate atrial fibrillation using a visually-guided laser balloon catheter. The procedure marks the first time the device—the “Endoscopic Ablation System” manufactured by CardioFocus Inc.—has been used in human clinical trials in this country.

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Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the only hospital in the Delaware Valley offering endoluminal fundoplication.

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The youngest child to receive a DSEK surgery.

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Surgeons remove gall bladders through the belly button to prevent scarring. The procedure also has the potential for less pain.

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Coubital tunnel syndrome is caused by the compression of the ulnar nerve in the elbow. The ulnar nerve is one of the main nerves of the forearm and hand. Most patients with this condition typically experience numbness and tingling in their fingers, along with weakness of grip. Those most affected by this condition often include office workers and others who operate machinery with a bent elbow.

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Patients undergoing brain surgery sometimes are awakened during surgery to talk, so surgeons can steer clear of critical areas. Recent improvements in surgical techniques are improving outcomes.

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A surgical procedure known as LUNA (laparoscopic uterosacral nerve ablation) did not result in improvements in chronic pelvic pain, painful menstruation, painful sexual intercourse or quality of life when compared with laparoscopic surgery that does not interrupt pelvic nerve connections, according to a study in the September 2 issue of JAMA.

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Rate of minor complications increases in surgeries performed after hours.

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Timing is what matters in treating orthopaedic injuries in trauma patients.

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Adolescent and young children of obese mothers who underwent weight-loss surgery prior to pregnancy have been found to have a lower prevalence of obesity and significantly improved cardio-metabolic markers when compared to siblings born before the same obese mothers had weight-loss surgery.

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New computer software trains new and experienced surgeons by tracking every move they make during surgery training.

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UNC brain surgeon Anand Germanwala, M.D. and ENT surgeon Adam Zanation, M.D., collaborated to develop through-the-nose approach to repair a patient's ruptured brain aneurysm.

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Dorys Balboa spent 11 years in pain after injuring her low back. Finally, decompression surgery performed at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center last year brought immediate, complete relief.

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A new study of 30-day outcomes in patients who had endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for aortic abdominal aneurysms (AAAs), revealed that overall morbidity and mortality for all patients were 11.9 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. However when comparing men and women, mortality was almost twice as high in women than men (3.4 percent vs. 1.8 percent) and a broad range of postoperative complications also were more likely to occur in females (17.8 percent vs. 10.6 percent).

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The prospect of surgery for a child is a frightening unknown for child and parent alike, and the pre-operative process that most children go through only heightens their anxiety. Research on how hospitals can minimize the anxiety and trauma children face both before and after surgery was recently published in the journal Anesthesiology.

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Physicians at The Mount Sinai Medical Center were the first in the country to perform a non-surgical procedure using sutures to tie off a left atrial appendage (LAA), which is the source of blood clots leading to stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib). AFib is the most common sustained heart-rhythm disorder in the United States.

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Surgeons at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center have performed the next in a series of groundbreaking single-incision surgeries. Through one small port in the navel, surgeons removed a kidney and ureter and reconstructed a patient’s bladder as part of an innovative cancer surgery.

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Researchers have developed a virtual surgery tool that allows heart surgeons to manipulate 3D cardiac magnetic resonance images of a patient's specific anatomy to select the best approach before entering the operating room. In the August issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, the researchers detail how the tool helped them plan the surgery of a four-year-old girl born with just one functional ventricle.

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After visiting the emergency room with fainting spells and shortness of breath, a 17-year-old Morningside Heights boy was diagnosed with rare, life-threatening blood clots blocking his pulmonary arteries. To address the problem, surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital successfully performed a pulmonary thromboendartectomy (PTE) surgery -- reportedly, the first time it has been performed on a child in the New York City area.

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When planning for surgery, patients too often don't consider the kind of anesthesia they will receive. In fact, the choice of anesthesia can improve recovery, even outcomes.

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Improvement of headaches significant after anterior cervical reconstructive surgery.

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In the days leading up to Glen Deaton's emergency trip from Trumann to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), large veins that drain blood from his brain were clotting. Confusion, nausea, vomiting and blurred vision were among his symptoms. An MRI revealed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis "“ a type of stroke caused by a clot that in Deaton's case ran from the top of his head nearly to his neck. With the blood flow stopped like water in a clogged drain, tremendous pressure was on Deaton's brain, resulting in the stroke and hemorrhage despite a shunt to relieve the pressure. He had a seizure, became unresponsive and had to be put on a ventilator.

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Female recipients of kidneys from deceased male donors demonstrate an increased risk of allograft failure in the first year after transplant, but show no increased risk after ten years, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The study authors note that proteins on male donor cells may affect the short term success of kidney transplants in women.

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Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) can have a significantly beneficial effect in patients with severe emphysema, according to the first ever study to randomize emphysema patients to receive either LVRS or non-surgical medical care.

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Because UVA is one of several dozen U.S. medical centers researching the use of a new, minimally-invasive mitral valve repair procedure, George Forschler did not have to undergo open heart surgery when his leaky mitral valve caused him to become severely ill. The new procedure allows patients to heal faster with fewer complications.

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New, less invasive ways to repair heart valves may fundamentally transform how this lifesaving procedure is performed. The July issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter looks at new technologies under study to repair heart valve disorders without open heart surgery.

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Over the last four years, heart specialists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center have implanted an innovative aortic heart valve replacement using a catheter-based approach that does not require open-heart surgery in a total of 100 patients -- the most of any U.S. medical center to date.