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UI Consult Home
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UI Consult Summer 2006
It's here—endoscopic transnasal brain surgery University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is one of the first hospitals in the Midwest to offer endoscopic transnasal surgery. This technique allows UI Neurosciences specialists to access tumors in hard-to-reach areas of the brain, and even the spine, and causes less discomfort for patients than traditional procedures. It is often used to remove pituitary tumors. During this procedure, Jeremy Greenlee, MD, assistant professor of neurosurgery, passes tiny instruments through normal nasal passages and opens a small hole in the sphenoid sinus to reach the pituitary gland. Recovery time is three or four days at the hospital for endoscopy versus about five days for traditional surgery. The endoscopic procedure has been found equally effective at tumor removal and produces no added risks or visible scarring. For more information, call the Department of Neurosurgery at 319-356-2237. Digital mammography may be a better option UI Hospitals and Clinics radiologists were part of a large, multi-center clinical trial that determined digital mammography is better than standard film mammography for detecting breast cancers in about 40 percent of women, including those under age 50, pre- and peri-menopausal women, and women with dense breast tissue. Laurie Fajardo, MD, professor and head of radiology at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, led the UI portion of the investigation. UI Hospitals and Clinics was the first facility in Iowa with digital mammography capability. Prostate cancer screening and treatment guidelines released The multidisciplinary Iowa Prostate Cancer Consensus Recommendations Committee, directed by physicians from the Department of Urology at UI Hospitals and Clinics, recently announced the first guidelines for screening and management of prostate cancer in men 75 years of age and older. The committee, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Public Health Comprehensive Cancer Control program, created the guidelines based on a risk-stratified approach to screening and management of prostate cancer with consideration of functional status and life expectancy. Because Iowa has one of the largest elderly populations in the nation, the issue of screening and treatment of that population is particularly relevant to Iowa health care providers. The goals of these recommendations are to promote a more uniform approach to prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment in all elderly men in Iowa, encourage adequate intervention when necessary, and avoid needless screening in men who will not benefit from it. The guidelines may be downloaded at www.uihealthcare.com/depts/med/urology/iowaconsensus.html. Building better relations with referring physicians Referring physicians have a new connection between themselves and UI Hospitals and Clinics. The Office of Referring Physician Relations was established to address questions or concerns from referrers and to serve as a catalyst for action. Goals and services of the new office include providing efficient, effective support to community physicians and their patients; making physician office visits to discuss new programs, clinical services, and opportunities for process improvements; facilitating speaking engagements and meetings between UI Physicians and referring physicians; and identifying common interests and opportunities to partner. Christine Miller, director of Strategic Relations, provides overall supervision of the office. Please call 319-384-6103 or e-mail referring-physicians@uiowa.edu to learn more about this initiative. UI, Genesis announce NICU patient care relationship Premature and sick babies born at Genesis Medical Center, Davenport, are receiving enhanced care through a new partnership with The University of Iowa. Boardcertified neonatologists from University of Iowa Children's Hospital are providing on site care for babies in the Genesis Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. UI faculty member Zahi Zeiden, MD, will practice at Genesis full-time and live in Davenport. The NICU at University of Iowa Children's Hospital has outcomes for premature babies that are consistently among the top 10 percent of hospitals in the country. New Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery clinic opens The UI Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery clinic, a division of the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, is dedicated to providing surgical and in-office solutions for the aesthetic rejuvenation, enhancement, and reconstruction of the face and neck. Prospective patients now have access to a broad range of treatment options that include rhinoplasty, facial rejuvenation (facelifts, browlifts, eyelid surgery, skin resurfacing), otoplasty, Restylane®, and Botox®. The new clinic is designed as a “clinic within a clinic” in order to streamline the patient experience and emphasize patient privacy. Grant Hamilton, MD, is the director of the division. He believes in creating a natural result that harmonizes with the patient’s entire face. State-of-the-art computer imaging can simulate the desired changes before surgery. Call 319-356-3600 to arrange a consultation. Introducing: UI Heart and Vascular Center University of Iowa Heart Care has changed its name to University of Iowa Heart and Vascular Care, which better reflects the long-term collaboration among the Department of Internal Medicine’s division of cardiovascular disease, the Department of Surgery’s division of vascular surgery, and the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. UI Heart and Vascular Center offers expertise in medical cardiology, interventional cardiology, vascular surgery, and cardiothoracic surgery. Innovative new clinical services Specialists in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery have begun using photodynamic therapy as a palliative treatment for patients with esophageal cancer. Patients are given an intravenous injection of a light-sensitive drug called porfimer sodium (Photofrin®), which passes through normal cells but collects in cancerous and precancerous cells. Two or three days later, doctors expose those areas to a red laser, causing a chemical reaction that destroys the cancer cells without harming normal tissue. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Division of Interventional Radiology have teamed to staff a Fibroid Clinic offering women with uterine fibroids a range of treatment options, including
UI Heart and Vascular Center cardiologists recently performed Iowa’s first kidney artery stent placements using a miniature “filter” device to improve procedure results. The filter, called Angioguard®, uses a tiny protective basket to catch particles of plaque released during the stenting procedure. Once the stent is implanted, the basket is collapsed and pulled back through the delivery catheter, thereby removing plaque from the body. Researchers are studying this corrective measure for renal stenosis in the NIH-funded, $28 million Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions (CORAL) study. Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center has received supplemental funding from the National Cancer Institute to establish an Image Response Assessment Team, which will use technologies such as computed tomography, positron emission tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging to observe cancer’s metabolic and molecular processes. Incorporated into clinical trials, these quantitative, anatomical, functional, and molecular imaging techniques will allow researchers to monitor the response of tumors to new cancer therapies. Hospital launching Iowa's only program for lung transplants UI Hospitals and Clinics will become the only hospital in the state to perform lung transplant procedures following approval from the United Network for Organ Sharing, the national governing body for organ transplantation. Mark Iannettoni, MD, head of cardiothoracic surgery, said he expects the hospital to perform 10 to 20 lung transplants a year beginning this summer. Paul Sodders, public affairs manager for the North Liberty-based Iowa Donor Network, said the program will benefit patients who now must travel elsewhere for treatment. About 20 lungs for transplant leave Iowa each year as donations because there is no program here, he said. The hospital has three staff surgeons who are specially trained to perform the transplants and is recruiting a new pulmonologist. UI Consult is a centralized
resource linking health
care providers to University
of Iowa physicians and
services at University of
Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
Whether you are seeking
a consultation, are
providing a referral, need
patient information, or
want news about clinical
trials or CME courses, a
single call is all it takes to
put you in touch with the
right person. UI Consult
is available 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week.
Simply call 800-322-8442.
When referring a patient,
you may also fill out an
online referral form at
www.uihealthcare.com/consult.
Information needed to
refer a patient: UI Hospitals and Clinics and the UI Carver College of Medicine are pleased to introduce the following faculty, by department:
Upcoming Continuing Medical Education activities For the full list of upcoming University of Iowa continuing medical education events, visit: www.medicine.uiowa.edu/cme/ or call the CME office, 319-335-8599. August 7–9, 2006 October 13–14, 2006
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