"GLITCHES" DISCOVERED AND FIXED IN ANIMAL STUDY MAKE HUMAN PITUITARY TUMOR SURGERY QUICKER, SAFER AND LESS PAINFUL
Surgeons at the Skull Base Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have refined an endoscopic procedure that reduces trauma, decreases risk of complications and speeds recovery for patients who need surgery of the pituitary gland. The animal study that led to the safe use of the technique in human surgery appears in the April issue of the 'Journal of Laparoendoscopic and Advanced Surgical Techniques.'
NEW NON-SURGICAL THERMOTHERAPY AVAILABLE FOR TREATMENT OF PROSTATE DISEASE
A new non-surgical treatment option that utilizes microwave thermotherapy to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) -- the common, non-cancerous condition of an enlarged prostate gland in older men -- is now available at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Cedars-Sinai is one of the first facilities in Southern California to treat BPH non-surgically using the ProstatronR, a state-of-the-art medical device that delivers microwave energy to targeted areas of the enlarged prostate. A medical breakthrough in prostate disease therapy, the ProstatronR is unique in its ability to effectively heat and eliminate excess prostate tissue, while protecting adjacent tissues with a patented cooling system.
THERAPY SHOWS PROMISE IN PREVENTING REJECTION OF TRANSPLANTED ORGANS
A therapeutic approach that appears to significantly reduce the rejection risk of transplanted organs is currently being studied in multi-center clinical trials but already has been adopted as an effective tool by most major transplant centers throughout the country. The therapy was developed at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Consisting of infusion of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), it appears to be helpful in preventing rejection in difficult cases when other medications have failed, according to Stanley C. Jordan, M.D., director of Pediatric Nephrology and Transplant Immunology, and medical director of the Renal Transplant Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
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