Irritable Bowel Syndrome may be linked to the presence of excessive bacteria in the small intestine
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center may have identified a cause of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a gastrointestinal condition that afflicts about 20 percent of the adult population and is diagnosed in twice as many women as men. The findings, published in the December issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology, may shed new light on how to treat the symptoms of bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea and/or constipation associated with IBS.
Children’s brain tumors, other nervous system disorders frequently treatable, says new director of pediatric neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute
Responding to a growing need in the greater Los Angeles area for highly specialized care of pediatric brain tumors and other central nervous system disorders, Cedars-Sinai’s Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute has launched a state-of-the-art and comprehensive Pediatric Program for Neurosurgery. The program is led by pediatric neurosurgeon, Moise Danielpour, M.D., a Southland native, who has “returned home” to accept his challenging new role, and is one of a handful of pediatric neurosurgeons in the world who performs in utero surgery for myelomeningocele spinal cord defect.
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai’s Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute publish case report in the lancet documenting development of a malignant tumor 7 years after radiosurgery to treat a benign tumor
Seven years after undergoing radiosurgery to treat a benign tumor, a 70-year-old woman developed a malignant brain tumor called a glioblastoma, according to a case report prepared by researchers at Cedars-Sinai’s Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute. The report was published in the November 2000 issue of the British medical journal, The Lancet. The patient first complained of transient dizziness followed by a headache. Evaluation found no evidence of neurologic deficit. According to a follow-up MRI performed six years later, the tumor, located near the superior saggital sinus, was growing. Therefore, it was treated with stereotactic radiosurgery, a procedure that focuses radiation from numerous angles, bombarding the tumor while minimizing exposure to surrounding tissue. All of these early diagnostic and treatment measures were performed at institutions other than Cedars-Sinai. The investigators in this study, Keith Black, M.D., and John Yu, M.D., are available for interviews.
San Antonio man is among the first in the nation to undergo a new fully endoscopic procedure to reach and remove skull-base tumors through an incision between the eyes
A 55-year-old San Antonio (TX) electronics engineer is among the first patients to have a craniopharyngioma (tumor located along the bottom surface of the brain and directly behind the eyes) removed in a fully endoscopic, minimally invasive surgical procedure. He was discharged from the hospital just two days after the 10-hour procedure, and flew back home to San Antonio three days later. Using extremely thin, flexible and precise endoscopic instruments, this new surgical approach performed at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is making hospital stays and recovery times shorter.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center launches Hyperhidrosis Center in an effort to inform patients that outpatient surgery can bring permanent relief from the embarrassment of excessive sweating
A new outpatient procedure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Hyperhidrosis Center now offers relief for people with hyperhidrosis – excessive sweating. Performed endoscopically, with four tiny incisions, complete recovery is measured in several days. Martin Cooper, M.D., Clinical Chief of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai, uses a 3-millimeter scope with a camera lens on the end, and an instrument called a harmonic scalpel that vibrates so quickly it cuts tissue and cauterizes instantly to stop bleeding. Few if any other surgeons performing this operation – called video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy or VATS – use the harmonic scalpel, which is extremely precise and minimizes damage to surrounding tissues.
A story of sharing: When wife donates half of her liver to husband at Cedars-Sinai, a nationwide network of strangers spontaneously evolves for their support
On Nov. 2, 2000, a husband and wife from Orange County, CA, each underwent four-hour operations at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The purpose of the twin-surgeries was to reclaim the life of the husband, Tom Stich, 56. His wife, Debra Lex Stich, 43, was donating the right lobe of her liver to him, bringing his 18-year battle with liver disease to a healthy conclusion. Although Tom had been waiting for a cadaver liver, in recent years the need for such organs has grown at an astonishing rate, but the number of available livers for transplant has barely budged. What Tom and Deb had not anticipated was the depth and breadth of an “e-mail tree” that used the Internet to bring together hundreds of strangers who donated blood, learned about transplants and followed their day-to-day progress. Both Tom and Deb are available for interviews, as are their transplant surgeons.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center establishes new Gene Therapeutics Institute; names Pedro R. Lowenstein, MD, PhD, as director
Supported by a $5 million lead gift from its Board of Governors, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has established a new Gene Therapeutics Institute with a $10 million initial commitment for a state-of-the-art program dedicated to clinical translation of cutting-edge molecular technology. Cedars-Sinai has named as the Institute’s director Pedro R. Lowenstein, MD, PhD, Lister Institute Professor of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy at the University of Manchester in England.
Cedars-Sinai wound care center opens to the community
The Cedars-Sinai Wound Care Center — offering specialized services for preventing, treating and managing wounds that do not heal properly — has opened its new facility in Suite 296 of the Steven Spielberg Building at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8723 Alden Dr. in Los Angeles. The Cedars-Sinai Wound Care Center offers compassionate state-of-the-art care for individuals suffering from problematic wounds that are slow to heal (30 days or longer). Such healing problems can be caused by diabetes, circulatory problems, trauma, surgery, or advanced age. The Center’s multidisiciplinary team of medical specialists provide a full array of treatments for hospital inpatients, outpatients, and home health patients.
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