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Samsung and Apple
Cutting Edge Technology:
What’s New in Our Area
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Southeast Georgia’s medical scene is brimming with exciting advanced technological services and procedures, all readily available to its community. Hospitals, medical facilities and physician practices in the area hope to provide the best level of care with the most up-to-date medical devices. Below are some of the advanced treatment technologies available to the Southeast Georgia neighborhood.
da Vinci®
The Southeast Georgia Health System offers a variety of efficient and robotically enhanced procedures. With board-certified physicians and medical staff on hand to
perform these delicate procedures, the da Vinci® system has changed the game for surgical performance and precision. The da Vinci® robotic surgical system provides opportunities for surgeons to perform with the utmost precision and control. This is due to the high-definition imaging system via a laparoscopic camera that allows doctors to comfortably view the treatment area along with three mechanical arms, all controlled by a console, that can reach behind sensitive nerve tissue, delicate skin and muscle areas.
The da Vinci® robotic surgical system is used at the Southeast Georgia Health System for various procedures, including bariatric, general, gynecological and urological related surgeries. In regards to general surgeries, the use of the da Vinci® system has become a standard practice when treating certain conditions. Conditions can range from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), laparoscopic appendectomy, abdominal hernia reparations to colon resectioning and more. A common theme among these conditions is that each procedure usually begins with a major incision made to the abdominal region, but with the da Vinci® incision areas are minimized.
There are a myriad of benefits that accompany usages of the da Vinci® system, as opposed to traditional surgical procedures. Some pros of this robotically assisted surgery include reduced blood loss as a result of minimally invasive incisions and smaller tools used by the mechanical arm of the da Vinci®. Additional advantages of this surgical device include a shortened hospital stay and lowered chances of remission, less post-surgery pain, lowered risk for infections, reduction in visible scarring and generally fewer complications.
The CyberKnife
The Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer and Research Pavilion at St. Joseph’s/Candler are pleased to introduce the astonishing CyberKnife, forever revolutionizing cancer treatment at this hospital. The CyberKnife is not actually a knife, but instead uses the new technology of gamma radiation to precisely target tumor-filled areas. In turn, it acts in the traditional sense of a scalpel that a surgeon would use in regular circumstances. The procedure becomes non-invasive and pain-free as a result, with large amounts of radiation being administered in sub-millimeters to specific regions of the body. This avoids healthy tissue in surrounding areas from being damaged by the radiation the CyberKnife omits.
An advancement that pairs with the CyberKnife includes a real-time device which can monitor subtle movements in the target area and patient. In order to accomplish this, the radiation beam produced by this medical instrument can be aimed from 1,200 different angles. The angles provide seamless aim, as well as a multitude of treatment options to patients with tumors in any region of the body. The advanced capabilities of the CyberKnife have opened doors to many possibilities of operability, providing aid to oncologists and neurosurgeons employed at St. Joseph’s/ Candler.
The benefits of the CyberKnife exceed expectations as procedures require less effort and time, along with reducing recovery time for patients post-procedure. Due to the lack of physical incisions being made, the risk for infection and
Cyberknife, photo courtesy of Textefuermedizin
complications disappear, making cancer treatment effortless and trouble-free at St. Joseph’s/Candler. The CyberKnife is truly the evolution of stereotactic radiosurgery tools.
TrueBeam
TrueBeam is the latest technology involved in the radiotherapy system offered by St. Joseph’s/Candler’s hospital located in Southeast Georgia. While TrueBeam is more precise in targeting cancer treatment areas and provides higher quality images of tumors, the priority of this mechanism is to improve cancer patients’ experiences with treatment.
Radiation therapy administered by TrueBeam lasts for less than ten minutes, saving time and lowering the possibility for patient motion while being treated. The lowered time of treatment accommodates
TrueBeam the patient as cancer treatments are often unpleasant and painful. The system works by delivering precise beams of radiation to areas with cancer present in the patient, in an attempt to lower exposure to other portions of the body. The procedure involved is non-invasive as TrueBeam simply rotates around the patient to administer treatment to specific regions with cancer detected. TrueBeam is certainly ideal for many cancer patients, but is not appropriate for all cancer types. Before treatments are administered with TrueBeam, a CT scan is performed for the radiation specialist as the therapy is image guided. The images allow for accuracy of the beam that is manually guided and can be utilized for more complex cancer diagnoses, such as prostate cancer, head cancer and neck cancer.
NeuroQuant®
Patients with neurological concerns and conditions in Southeast Georgia have access to advanced high-definition processing software, known as NeuroQuant®. Paired with MRI technology, this system produces clear imaging for radiologists to provide concise diagnoses and assessments of brain matter. NeuroQuant® involves taking 3-D measurements of the brain, a procedure that is painless and non-invasive, with the help of an MRI scan to develop an initial generation of an image. The image software of NeuroQuant® processes the data of the measurements, calculating the volume of the brain to then compare to an average brain based on age, sex and cranial volume. With this information, physicians can assess the severity of neurological disorders, brain atrophies and brain damage as a result of trauma. Treatment plans are developed based on clear images produced by this machine, and physicians can determine the long-term effects caused by injury if applicable.
