Virtual colonoscopy or computed tomography (CT) colonography is a technique that uses a CT scanner and computer software to look at the bowel or colon to detect polyps. Polyps are small growths in the colon that may become cancerous if not removed. The technique offers an alternative to...
A laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF) is a procedure commonly used to help patients who suffer from gastrointestinal esophageal reflux disease. The surgery reinforces the lower esophageal sphincter (the area between the esophagus and the stomach) to prevent backflow of gastric acids into...
Stereotactic core-cut breast biopsy (SCCB) is a mammographically guided, core needle biopsy. Physicians use the procedure to evaluate non-palpable suspicious breast lesions. A minimally invasive procedure, SCCB is a good alternative to surgical biopsy because in most cases it results in little,...
Prostate cryosurgery (also known as cryoablation, cryotherapy, or cryo) is a minimally invasive procedure that uses controlled freezing to destroy cancerous cells in the prostate gland, according to the American Urological Association (AUA). Cryotherapy was initially developed to treat tumors...
Cystoscopy is a common urological procedure that is usually performed in the office setting as a diagnostic test to inspect the interior of the bladder and urethra with a lighted, flexible endoscope, called a cystoscope, according to the American Urological Association Foundation. The cystoscope...
Peripheral and visceral arteriography, also referred to as angiography, is an imaging guided procedure used to visualize non-coronary arteries, such as those found in the hands, feet, legs, arms, and organs. The physician performs the procedure by making a small incision in an artery and...
Mohs micrographic surgery is an effective and advanced treatment for skin cancer that involves surgically removing the cancer while using a microscope to ensure only healthy tissue is left behind, according to the American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS).
Pulmonary artery catheterization (PAC), also known as the Swan-Ganz or right heart catheterization, is a procedure commonly used to measure pressures in the heart and large blood vessels, according to the American Thoracic Society. During the procedure, a balloon-tipped pulmonary artery catheter...
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for liver cancer is a procedure that uses heat to destroy cancer cells. Physicians use imaging techniques such as ultrasound, CT, or MRI to place a needle electrode into cancerous tissue in the liver. An electrical current from a radiofrequency generator then passes...
Laparoscopic nephrectomy is a minimally invasive approach to the traditional open radical nephrectomy, which removes the entire kidney and any kidney cancer. Rather than making one large incision, surgeons make three or four incisions roughly 1 centimeter long in the abdomen. A small camera is...
