Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) is a treatment for patients with overactive bladder symptoms, which include urge incontinence, frequent urination, and urinary urgency. The procedure uses a device called InterStim® for Urinary Control, developed by the Minneapolis-based company Medtronic....
Coronary artery stenting is a procedure that involves placing a small, self-expanding mesh tube within a coronary artery to keep the vessel open. Physicians may also use drug-eluting stents, which are coated with a medicine that helps prevent restenosis due to tissue regrowth. The procedure is...
Peripheral vessel stenting is a minimally invasive procedure that involves placing a small, self-expanding mesh tube into a narrowed or blocked vessel to prop it open. Physicians may also use drug-eluting stents, which are coated with a medicine that helps prevent restenosis due to tissue...
Transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF) is an incisionless surgical approach used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). During this natural orifice surgery, the surgeon inserts the EsophyX™ device through the patient’s mouth rather than through an abdominal incision.
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging, sometimes known as cardiac MRI, is a noninvasive diagnostic technique that produces computerized images of internal body tissues. It is based on nuclear magnetic resonance of atoms within the body induced by the application of radio waves. It is...
Coronary atherectomy is a minimally invasive, catheter-based procedure that removes plaque that is blocking an artery and blood supply to the heart. It is a treatment option for patients with coronary artery disease.
There are three kinds of catheters approved for coronary atherectomy...
Flexible sigmoidoscopy is an exam used to evaluate the lower part of the large intestines. It can be used to locate and examine inflamed tissue, ulcers, and polyps, which can turn into cancer over time. Flexible sigmoidoscopy is also used as a screen for colon
cancer. Practitioners use...
During a surgery, test, or procedure, propofol (also referred to by its AstraZeneca brand name of Diprivan®) may be chosen to induce a depression of consciousness during which patients cannot be easily aroused by repeated or painful stimulation. This state is referred to as “deep sedation.” For...
Alcohol septal ablation, also commonly called percutaneous transluminal septal myocardial ablation, is a surgical alternative for treating hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), according to the Web site of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the joint university hospital for Cornell and...
The maze procedure is an open heart surgical treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition commonly referred to as arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat. Alternate treatments to AF that are less invasive than the maze procedure include the use of radio frequency (RF) waves, cryoablation, or...
