Cutting Edge Technology: What’s New in Our Area

Hospitals, medical centers, and physician practices in Southeast Georgia are committed to providing their patients with the best possible care using the most advanced medical devices and procedures. Below are just some of the latest medical advances available in our own backyard.

SmartCurve for Genius 3D Mammography, photo courtesy of Hologic

Genius 3D Mammography, photo courtesy of Hologic

Genius 3D Mammography™

Patients at Southeast Georgia Health System now have access to a new sophisticated technology for mammograms. Offered at its breast imaging locations on the Brunswick and Camden campuses, the Genius™ 3D Mammography™ is a 3D scan that can detect concerning areas in the breast tissue earlier and with more precision. Like a CAT scan, radiologists use this tomography device to examine tissue layer by layer, as if they were pages in a book. Studies have shown that the Genius exam is more accurate than conventional 2D mammograms for a wide variety of ages and breast densities. It is also the only FDA-approved mammogram designated as being superior for women with dense breasts. Sometimes during 2D scans, breast tissue gets compressed unevenly and falsely resembles an abnormality. The Genius reduces these false positives that, in the past, would have required patients to come back in for another mammogram. This causes them more stress and anxiety, but with the Genius 3D, callbacks are reduced by up to 40 percent. The Genius exam takes less than 4 seconds, making it the fastest mammography scan time. A faster scan time also means less time under compression. The system’s SmartCurve™ breast stabilization system, Affirm® Upright Biopsy Guidance System and MammoPad® breast cushion also allow for a more comfortable mammogram experience. The SmartCurve holds the breast in place for the scan using a curved paddle instead of

the less-comfortable flat plates. The Affirm system allows the patient to be seated, rather than face-down on a table, while the biopsy is performed. The MammoPad cushion is placed on the surface of the image detector and provides for more comfort while also holding the breast tissue in place with its grip-like surface to ensure optimal positioning.

Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction

Ankle & Foot Associates is the only practice in the Southeast Georgia region offering a new type of bunion surgery known as Lapiplasty® 3D Bunion Correction. This alternative to traditional bunion surgery corrects the bunion at the unstable joint in the middle of the foot, which is the root of the problem. This significantly reduces the chances of the bunion coming back. With Lapiplasty 3D Bunion Correction, the deviated bone is rotated into the correct position. During the procedure, physicians use specialized instrumentation specifically designed to maneuver and reduce the bunion before making the initial bone cuts. This allows for minimal bone removal, nearly eliminating the risk of significant bone shortening. Then the joint is permanently secured using two titanium plates. Due to the cutting-edge techniques and technology used in Lapiplasty, the procedure allows patients to have protected weight bearing walking in as little as three days. More traditional bunion surgical procedures result in patients waiting for six weeks until they can bear weight on their feet.

Micra® Transcatheter Pacing System

Southeast Georgia Health System (SGHS) is now home to the world’s smallest pacemaker. Known as the Micra® Transcatheter Pacing System, SGHS is the only hospital to offer this cuttingedge device between Savannah and Jacksonville, Florida. Along with the health system’s Heart Catheter team, cardiologist Mark T. Watkins, MD, FACC, successfully implanted the new device in two patients with bradycardia, a slow or irregular heart rhythm, usually fewer than 60 beats per minute. Each minimally invasive procedure took less than 20 minutes.

The condition is most commonly treated using pacemakers to help restore the heart’s normal rhythm and relieve symptoms by sending electrical impulses to the heart to increase the heart rate. The miniature leadless Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) provides patients with the most advanced pacing technology available. At one-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker, the Micra is about the size of a large vitamin. It also features an estimated battery longevity of 12 years. Unlike traditional pacemakers, the TPS does not require cardiac wires, known as leads, or a surgical pocket under the skin. The device is small enough to be delivered through a catheter and implanted directly into the heart through a vein in the leg, thus no chest incision, scar or bump that results from conventional pacemakers. The TPS is also designed to automatically adjust pacing therapy based on a patient’s activity levels. The TPS was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2016, and has been granted Medicare reimbursement, allowing for more patient access to the innovative pacing technology.

Medtronic Micra Transcatheter Pacing System

“The Micra pacemaker is a milestone for our heart patients who now have access to this technology close to home. I’m pleased that we can improve heart function and quality of life for bradycardia patients in a way that’s unobtrusive and offers lower risk than what was available with a traditional pacemaker,” said Watkins in a press release.

MLS® Laser Therapy

MLS® or Multiwave Locked System, is a revolutionary type of laser therapy that delivers therapeutic wavelengths of light in order to treat painful and debilitating conditions by stimulating inter-cellular activity for damaged cells. This speeds up recovery for those cells and reduces pain by accelerating the body’s natural healing processes. The system uses the 808nm wavelength for anti-inflammatory and antiedema effects and the 905nm wavelength for pain killing effects. Physicians place the laser beam over the patient’s skin so the light energy penetrates the tissue where it interacts with various molecules that cause different biological effects. The non-invasive treatment is completely painless and lasts about 8 minutes.

MLS Laser Therapy

In Southeast Georgia, Ankle & Foot Associates is using MLS Laser Therapy to treat painful conditions such as tendon and ligament injuries; sore muscles, muscle strains and tears; degenerative joint conditions; neurological and general pain; musculoskeletal disorders, pre and post-surgical treatment; anti-inflammation applications; and specific neurological conditions.

TESTOPEL® Implant

For patients in Southeast Georgia with hypogonadism, or low testosterone, there is now a new treatment option. Available at Southeast Georgia Urology, TESTOPEL® is the only FDA-approved testosterone pellet available to help restore testosterone levels in men for three to four months, possibly even six. The pellet is administered during a short procedure at the doctor’s office, and most men are able to get back to their everyday activities within the same day. These procedures can occur up to four times per year. Smaller than the width of a dime, the long-acting pellet is implanted under the skin and slowly releases testosterone over time. Each TESTOPEL pellet contains 75mg of crystalline testosterone. Many men lose testosterone with age, and symptoms of this can include sluggishness, decreased libido, loss of energy, hair loss, increase in body fat, decrease in muscle mass, irritability, and depression.