Stereotactic radiosurgery is a noninvasive procedure that uses targeted radiation to treat tumors and abnormalities in the brain. The technique, developed in the 1950s as a less invasive alternative to brain surgery, does not require an incision and is generally performed on an outpatient basis...
Breast brachytherapy is a treatment for early-stage breast cancer. It is a form of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI), an alternative to standard radiation for preventing breast cancer recurrence after a lumpectomy. APBI can be delivered two ways: through external radiation beam...
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) infuses a fecal suspension from a healthy donor into the gastrointestinal tract of a patient. This procedure is used to treat recurrent Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection and has shown promise in treating other conditions. C. difficile causes...
Liposuction is the surgical removal of subcutaneous fat by means of aspiration cannulas, introduced through small skin incisions, assisted by suction. Liposuction techniques range from simple aspiration to advanced laser- and ultrasound-guided procedures. The procedure is most often performed by...
Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) is a non-invasive procedure that monitors the rate and direction of blood flow inside vessels in the brain. TCD
enables physicians to diagnose a wide range of conditions affecting blood flow to and within the brain. The procedure is performed by...
Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) refers to the delivery of the drug baclofen into the body’s cerebral spinal fluid using a surgically implanted pump. It is a treatment used for spasticity that results from a disorder of, or injury to, the central nervous system. These disorders or injuries can prevent...
Endovascular grafting is a minimally invasive method for treating aortic aneurysms, which are weak bulging spots on the aorta, the largest blood vessel in the body. If an aortic aneurysm enlarges and ruptures, it usually causes fatal internal bleeding.
Wound debridement is a procedure to remove necrotic (dead) tissue and other debris from a wound to promote healing. Debridement is a naturally occurring process, but in some cases, it may need to be facilitated by a healthcare provider.
A colposcopy is a diagnostic procedure in which a physician, nurse practitioner (NP), nurse-midwife, or physician assistant (PA) uses a special microscope, called a colposcope, to look at the surface of a woman’s cervix. Colposcopy may be performed when the results of a cervical cancer screening...
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is a noninvasive therapy that uses pulses of high-energy shock waves to treat several conditions that cause severe heel pain, including chronic plantar fasciitis. The therapy is designed for adult patients who have had symptoms for a minimum of six months...