DiLumen Endolumenal Therapy System for Procedures Inside Large Intestine FDA Cleared
Lumendi, LLC, a U.S. subsidiary of Lumendi, Ltd. out of London, England, won FDA clearance for its DiLumen endolumenal therapy system. The system is designed to isolate a section of the large intestine, to position the endoscope within it for a good viewing angle, and to help with delivery of incision-free endolumenal therapies.
The DiLumen was an idea that came out of the Minimally Invasive New Technologies program (MINT) at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian, and developed by MINT and Lumendi.
It consists of a sheath containing two inflatable balloons that’s placed over the colonoscope. Once inside...
Source: Medgadget - December 23, 2016 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Editors Tags: GI Surgery Source Type: blogs
Colon cancer screening: Is there an easier, effective way?
Are you, or is someone you know, postponing their colonoscopy? Maybe it’s the idea of that prep. At best, it requires being home and near a toilet for a day. Worse, it can make people feel awfully ill. Or maybe it’s the invasiveness of the test. At best, it’s unpleasant. At worst, there can be serious complications, including an instrument puncturing the bowel, bleeding, and organ damage. It’s also time-consuming, requiring time off work for you and whoever will be driving you home.
Why is a colonoscopy worth the hassle?
Cancers of the colon and rectum are common, and lives can be saved with early detection. Colore...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 5, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Cancer Digestive Disorders Health Healthy Aging Screening Source Type: blogs
This holiday season, pass the family history
This morning, I diagnosed a 49-year-old female with stage 4 colon cancer. She will probably not be alive in 5 years. She could have possibly prevented this diagnosis if she had known her family history. Many people don’t know the health history of their family. This holiday season is a perfect time and opportunity to delve into this history and prevent more senseless deaths.
The apple really doesn’t fall too far from the tree. When it comes to genetics, neither does health. The fact remains that, while a person’s genetic makeup is not the sole determining factor of health, it does account for up to 30 percent of ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - November 29, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/cedrek-l-mcfadden" rel="tag" > Cedrek L. McFadden, MD < /a > Tags: Physician Cancer Source Type: blogs
Not Just a Man’s Disease
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, to help spread the word we are cross posting the following post. It originally ran on HuffPost Healthy Living.
Colorectal cancer is not just a man’s disease — it’s the third most common cancer in women behind lung and breast — and not just among the elderly [1]. In fact, colorectal cancer diagnoses are becoming increasingly common in individuals younger than 50 [2].
Colorectal cancer is the growth of abnormal cancerous cells in the lower part of the colon that connects the anus to the large bowel. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nea...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - March 30, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Cancer Men's Health Women's Health Source Type: blogs
TBT: Which is More Uncomfortable – The Colonoscopy or Treatment for Colon Cancer?
March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, today’s TBT post provides some helpful information on colorectal cancer.
Michelle was a healthy, active 47 year old. She tried to eat right and she exercised. It looked like the hard work was paying off: no health issues and lots of energy. Her work in the healthcare field motivated her to see her doctors regularly for checkups, to get mammograms and to have her blood work done annually. She knew she was getting close to the magical age of 50 and that soon she would need to get a colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer. Since she had no family history of the disease she wa...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - March 10, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Cancer TBT Source Type: blogs
Is it the doctor’s fault if a patient doesn’t want to come in?
A patient came to the office and refused to see me, although I was quite willing to see him. I’ll present the scenario followed by the patient’s reason he took an abrupt U-turn. Then, if you are inclined, you may offer your own advice and comment.
I performed a colonoscopy on this patient and found a large polyp in the upper part of the large intestine, or colon. The upper part of the colon, or right side of the colon, has been receiving a lot of press in gastroenterology in recent years. Medical studies have observed that cancers in this region are more easily missed for reasons that don’t need to be explained here....
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - January 26, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Michael Kirsch, MD Tags: Conditions GI Source Type: blogs
Gastroenterologists are the tattoo artists of medicine
Everywhere you go, you can see people from all walks of life sporting some pretty cool tattoos. Tattoos are so popular nowadays that they’re almost conformist. I consider myself really hip since I don’t have any tattoos; how avant-garde! However, that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate good ink when I see it. As a matter of fact, I even dabble as a tattooist sometimes.
It is common practice to leave a permanent tattoo at the site of significant pathology (such as a large polyp or tumor) inside the GI tract. We typically use a substance called SPOT, which consists of microscopic carbon particles in a suspension. Whe...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - January 26, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Frederick Gandolfo, MD Tags: Conditions GI Source Type: blogs
MKSAP: 65-year-old man is evaluated after a recent colonoscopy
A 65-year-old man is evaluated after a recent colonoscopy, which disclosed a 2.5-cm pedunculated polyp in the sigmoid colon. The polyp was removed in its entirety in a single piece. Biopsy results showed a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma confined to the submucosa without evidence of lymphovascular involvement and a 1-mm margin. There is no family history of colorectal cancer.
Physical examination findings are unremarkable.
Which of the following is the most appropriate management?
A: Colon resection
B: CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis
C: Radiation therapy
D: Repeat colonoscopy in 3 months
Continue reading ...
Your pat...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - November 28, 2015 Category: Journals (General) Authors: mksap Tags: Conditions Cancer GI Source Type: blogs
Matthew’s incredible Wheat Belly transformation
Remember Matthew? I previously shared his story and photos, including his 80-pound weight loss and change in cholesterol values.
But there is much more to his story that he has been sharing on the Official Wheat Belly Facebook page. Because the changes he described were so extensive, I’ve collected his comments here. Put together, Matthew’s health transformation is nothing short of astounding. He previously told us that hypertension and pre-diabetes have reversed with now normal blood pressure and blood sugars. But just read on and see how much more happened.
Matthew’s experience is a terrific example of ...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - November 27, 2015 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Success Stories acid reflux allergy asthma cholesterol cramps gerd gluten grains heartburn IBS indigestion spastic colon Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
Which is More Uncomfortable: The Colonoscopy or Treatment for Colon Cancer?
Michelle was a healthy, active 47 year old. She tried to eat right and she exercised. It looked like the hard work was paying off: no health issues and lots of energy. Her work in the healthcare field motivated her to see her doctors regularly for checkups, to get mammograms and to have her blood work done annually. She knew she was getting close to the magical age of 50 and that soon she would need to get a colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer. Since she had no family history of the disease she wasn’t worried. She felt certain that, just as all her previous testing had come back normal, this one would too.
...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - March 18, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Cancer Source Type: blogs
FDA-CMS Parallel Review Process Brings Its First Device to Market
Getting a medical device to market is not easy. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process alone can take years and millions of dollars. In 2011, the FDA and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) noted another lengthy procedure: “It has come to our attention that innovators have generally focused solely on obtaining FDA approval, only to later realize that Medicare payment may not automatically be forthcoming.” Indeed CMS’s national coverage determination (NCD) for a product or service can add significant time and cost.
FDA and CMS solicited comments from industry on the concept of...
Source: Policy and Medicine - October 28, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
Top stories in health and medicine, August 29, 2014
From MedPage Today:
Thyroid Problems May Up BP Risks in Pregnancy. Women with hyperthyroidism and even high-normal free T4 during early pregnancy had an elevated risk for developing hypertensive disorders.
Study Questions Surveillance Colonoscopy. Removal of adenomatous polyps — without follow-up surveillance colonoscopy — led to a colorectal-cancer mortality similar to that of the general population.
RA: Publication Bias Alive and Well. Randomized trials of treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that have positive outcomes are still more likely to be published than those with negative results, despite the ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - August 29, 2014 Category: Journals (General) Authors: MedPage Today Tags: News Endocrinology GI OB/GYN Rheumatology Source Type: blogs
Small Bowel Intussusception Secondary to Polyp-MRI Diagnosis
These MRI images in a pregnant female show multiple polypoid lesions involving the small bowel. The polyps have variable in appearance. The presence of multiple gastrointestinal polyps can be seen in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis, juvenile polyposis, Cowden disease, and Cronkhite-Canada syndrome etc. Important complication is intussusception as seen in these images. An intussusception is composed of two parts: the intussuscipiens, or receiving loop, and the intussusceptum, or donor loop, which includes an entering limb and a returning limb with attached mesenteric fat interposed between...
Source: Sumer's Radiology Site - August 12, 2014 Category: Radiologists Authors: Sumer Sethi Source Type: blogs
Top stories in health and medicine, August 8, 2014
From MedPage Today:
Ain’t No Sunshine in This Act. Robert Harbaugh, MD, just wanted to do the right thing.
Gut Bacteria May Aid Testing for Colon Cancer. Analysis of gut bacteria in stool samples improved detection of colon cancer or precancerous polyps by fives times compared with a standard fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and risk factors.
Meditation Helps Vets Improve Diabetes Control. Getting veterans to practice mindfulness meditation may help them relieve diabetes-related stress and ultimately improve their disease.
Vegan Diet Eases Diabetic Neuropathy Pain. A plant-based diet may help relieve diabetic nerve p...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - August 8, 2014 Category: Journals (General) Authors: MedPage Today Tags: News Cancer Diabetes Endocrinology Source Type: blogs
Why It’s So Tempting To Over-screen: A Personal Perspective
Health screening is part of good preventive care, though over-screening can lead to increased costs, and potential patient harm. Healthcare professional societies have recently developed excellent public service announcements describing the dangers of over-testing, and new research suggests that though additional medical interventions are associated with increased patient satisfaction, they also lead (ironically) to higher mortality rates.
And so, in a system attempting to shift to a “less is more” model of healthcare, why is resistance so strong? When the USPSTF recommended against the need for annual, screeni...
Source: Better Health - July 14, 2014 Category: American Health Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Opinion True Stories Benefits Cancer Colonoscopy Guidelines Harms Mammogram Over-testing Over-treatment Screening Tests USPSTF Source Type: blogs
