Truth Staff
A sampling of medical technologies or treatments promoted as the newest advancements in health care, followed by providers who submitted news releases to The Truth:
1. Back relief -- Percutaneous lumbar discectomy is a probe that basically vacuums inner-disc material, removing pressure on surrounding nerves to relieve lower back pain or radicular pain due to contained disc herniations. It can help the patient avoid invasion surgery. Availability: Dr. Peter Carney, Elkhart.
2. Cataract removal -- Aqua-Lase allows the removal of cataracts without the generation of any heat energy inside the eye, thus reducing the chance of complication and injury to some of the delicate systems of the eye. Availability: Gabriele Eye Institute in Elkhart and Mishawaka.
3. Circulation increase -- Anodyne therapy is a noninvasive treatment that uses infrared light-emitting diodes to safely "wake up" nitrogen and other healing agents in the blood to increase circulation in limbs and improve blood-sugar levels, giving new hope to people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Availability: Greencroft Retirement Communities and Goshen Health System.
4. Hip replacement -- A computer-assisted, global positioning system for the human body allows surgeons to be more precise when placing implants, perhaps improving longevity of the total hip replacement and thus reducing the need for future surgeries. Availability: Dr. Anthony McPherron, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, Plymouth.
5. Liver cancer -- Selective internal radiation therapy uses millions of microscopic radioactive beads to help destroy tumors from the inside out, sparing healthy tissue while delivering up to 40 times more radiation to the liver tumors than conventional therapy. Availability: Center for Cancer Care, Goshen Health System.
6. Neuropathy reversal -- A new noninvasive procedure using an instrument that plugs into a laptop computer can quantify sensory loss and reverse symptoms of neuropathy -- swollen nerves from diabetes, most commonly affecting feet, toes and hands. Availability: Dr. Daniel Allen, offices in Nappanee, Warsaw and Wabash.
7. Radiology scanning -- Going from a 16- to 64-slice CT scanner, radiologists gain benefits in clinical testing, including cardiac testing, where the enhanced speed allows "freezing" of the heart to basically eliminate the heart's motion as a barrier to clear imaging. In less than 30 seconds, a complete body scan can produce 2,000 to 3,000 images. Availability: Elkhart General Hospital.
8. Sedation dentistry -- Taking a small pill, fearful patients who have been neglecting their teeth can get treated with no anxiety, often all in one appointment, by the innovation medication that bridges the gap between technology and comfort. Availability: Dr. Mark Corn, Elkhart, and Dr. Chad Stutsman, Goshen.
9. Skin enhancement -- Endermologie is a patented technique delivered by an accredited therapist using a special machine to give quicker and longer-lasting results to women and men plagued by cellulite, a skin infection involving hormones, aging, fluid retention and the reorganization of fat cells and connective tissues. Availability: The Centre PC, Elkhart.
10. Tonsil surgery -- Coblation tonsillectomy, a new surgical technique for removing tonsils, combines radio-frequency energy with saline to remove unwanted tonsil tissue and minimize damage to surrounding healthy tissue, resulting in less pain and faster recoveries for patients. Availability: Dr. Craig Meyer, Elkhart.