Advances in Medicine | Penn Medicine

Finding a Better Way to Diagnose Lung Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:00:00 PST

For years, the aggressive and deadly nature of lung cancer has hampered cancer researchers from finding an effective way of screening for lung cancer. The introduction of multidetector helical computed tomography (CT) technology has changed the landscape of lung cancer screening, and physicians and researchers at Penn Medicine have been on the forefront of applying this technology in new ways to...

The Fight Against Heart and Vascular Disease Gets Personal

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:00:00 PST

Year after year, heart and vascular disease maintains its rank as the number one killer of Americans. Doctors at Penn Medicine are battling the epidemic through comprehensive and personalized management of cardiovascular risk factors. There are many things people can do on their own to reduce their risk of developing heart and vascular disease, such as getting plenty of exercise and eating...

Identifying Alzheimer’s Disease

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:00:00 PST

There has never been a definitive test for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease. Doctors usually know if someone has dementia, and based on symptoms and testing they can predict whether the dementia is caused by Alzheimer’s. But a diagnosis can only be confirmed by examining the brain for the specific plaques and tangles that indicate Alzheimer’s. Doctors are close to being able to predict which...

Correct Diagnosis is Key to Successful Treatment

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:00:00 PST

Penn Medicine’s excellent diagnostics and expert physicians provide patients with the best chance of a successful outcome. Effective medical treatment is based on an accurate diagnosis of each patient’s disease. As one of the nation’s top medical centers, Penn Medicine offers patients the latest, state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and tests. But technology is only as good as the people...

Gene Researchers: Curing Blindness

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:10:00 PDT

As one of the premier patient care, teaching and research ophthalmology departments in the country, Scheie is a world leader in research and consistently ranks among the top five programs in the nation in funding by the National Eye Institute. “Scheie one the of the top-funded eye research programs in the country,” said Joan O’Brien, MD, chair of ophthalmology, “but almost all of our scientists...

Focusing on Vision

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:09:00 PDT

At Scheie Eye Institute and the F.M. Kirby Center for Molecular Ophthalmology, scientists investigate the causes of important eye conditions including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, hereditary retinal degenerations, cataract and severe myopia that may be treatable with molecular therapies. In addition to the gene therapy work being done by Jean Bennett, PhD, and Albert Maguire, MD,...

Penn Provides Specialized Care for Pituitary Disease

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:08:00 PDT

The symptoms can be vague. Headaches, weight loss or gain, fatigue, and cold intolerance: Symptoms that might be dismissed as menopause or stress. But these symptoms can sometimes mask pituitary disease. The Penn Pituitary Center was created to diagnose and treat people with pituitary disease. The center's multidisciplinary team of endocrinologists, neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists,...

Advanced Neuro Critical Care

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:07:00 PDT

It might look like every other intensive care unit (ICU) in a hospital, but Penn Medicine’s Neuro ICU is a highly specialized unit with experts trained to monitor, treat and rehabilitate patients with neurological issues. W. Andrew Kofke, MD, specializes in anesthesiology and critical care and is co-director, with Joshua Levine, MD, of the 22-bed unit. “While we act very similar to a...

Bringing Penn Medicine Expertise to the Community

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:06:00 PDT

Patients throughout the region are realizing they don’t have to travel to Philadelphia to see a Penn Medicine physician. In many suburban communities, Penn Medicine is right around the corner. Beginning with the opening of its first multispecialty site in Radnor in the 1990s, Penn has focused on bringing its expert services and nationally recognized physicians to the communities it serves....

Finding Relief from Knee Pain

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:05:00 PDT

Knee pain is a common complaint and it has many causes. At Penn Medicine, teams from orthopaedics, sports medicine, radiology, and physical therapy and rehabilitation work together to help patients find relief from knee pain. An accurate diagnosis of the cause of the knee pain is the first step in developing the appropriate treatment plan. Getting the Whole PictureX-rays are usually the first...

Advanced Reproductive Care

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:04:00 PDT

Penn Fertility Care has helped thousands of couples become families. Last year alone, fertility specialists at Penn performed more than 400 in vitro fertilization procedures. Fertility treatments have advanced considerably throughout the last 40 years as evidenced by development of reproductive options including in vitro fertilization, cryopreservation of sperm, eggs and embryos,...

Every Option for Treating Prostate Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:03:00 PDT

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 2 million men in the U.S. count themselves as prostate cancer survivors. Men worried about developing prostate cancer, making decisions about their treatment, or trying to stay well after treatment, will find a full spectrum of care at Penn Medicine. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men, and in most men it grows very slowly....

Teenagers Face Unique Challenges

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 26 May 2011 08:02:00 PDT

Adolescence can be a challenging time. Many teenage girls experience irregular or absent menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, excessive hair growth and ovary cysts. These symptoms may be the sign of an endocrine disorder. The glands of the endocrine system release hormones that regulate many bodily processes, including menstrual and reproductive function. Fortunately, endocrine disorders can be...

Penn Leads in Transfusion Free Heart Surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:01:00 PST

Penn Medicine has a long history of pioneering advanced surgical techniques. Bloodless cardiac surgery is just one of those surgical advances. The Bloodless Cardiac Surgery Program at Pennsylvania Hospital is one of the few bloodless programs in the nation to offer a full array of cardiac procedures, including complex heart surgery. Surgeons from around the world, including four cardiac surgeons...

It Pays to Get a Second Opinion

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:00:00 PST

Most people don’t like going to the doctor and patients diagnosed with a heart condition are no exception. But getting a second opinion from an experienced physician at a high-volume center like Penn Medicine can benefit most patients. “One of the biggest mistakes patients make is not getting a second opinion,” said William J. Untereker, MD, associate director of cardiology at Penn Presbyterian...

Penn Physicians Place Region’s First Subcutaneous ICD

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 06:01:00 PST

In August, electrophysiologists from Penn Medicine implanted the region’s first subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) for sudden cardiac arrest, a potentially fatal electrical malfunction of the heart. The patient, a young athletic male in his 20s, had the new system implanted during an outpatient procedure at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP). “I am...

Interdisciplinary Care and Innovation the Foundation of Penn Valve Center

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 06:00:00 PST

For more than a decade, the clinical specialists of Penn Medicine's heart valve disease program have led the way in the development of new techniques and devices for valve disease. Today, this clinical expertise comes together in the Penn Valve Center. Based in the Heart and Vascular Center, the Penn Valve Center provides patients with valve disease access to superior interdisciplinary...

Penn Provides World-Class Treatment for Abnormal Heart Rhythms

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:00:00 PST

Penn’s cardiac arrhythmia program is a regional and national referral center for heart rhythm disorders. For patients at risk for recurrent, sustained ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is often the treatment of choice and Penn is a pioneer in the development and use of ICDs. In 1981, Penn Medicine physicians implanted one of the first ICD...

Penn Team Advances Complex Aortic Care

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:01:00 PST

Patients with aortic disease often find themselves facing complex surgery. At Penn Medicine, the cardiovascular and vascular surgical teams have more experience with these technically demanding procedures and the complex circulatory issues that surround them than any other center in the area. In fact, Penn is known nationally and internationally for successfully performing complex interventions...

Joint Replacement Improves Quality of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:24:00 PST

Joint replacement surgery is undoubtedly one of the greatest medical advances for improving patients’ quality of life. Over the past 40 years, hip and knee replacements have been performed for millions of Americans, easing pain, improving range of motion, and keeping them active. Currently, over 400,000 hip and knee replacements are performed in the United States annually. At Penn, orthopaedic...

Penn Sports Medicine Helps Get Patients Back in Action

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:56:00 PDT

It happens to everyone at some time in their lives: They overdo it on the golf course, join the kids for some touch football, or forget they are no longer 17-year-old student athletes. From the weekend warrior to the professional athlete, the specialists at the Penn Sports Medicine Center provide comprehensive care for athletes of all abilities. Specially trained in the field of sports medicine,...

Advancing the Treatment of Orthpaedic Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:55:00 PDT

It wasn’t that long ago that cancer in the bone or soft tissue was a serious diagnosis that usually meant amputation of the affected limb. The orthopaedic oncology program at Penn Medicine has a long history of successfully treating these tumors and is one of the largest musculoskeletal tumor referral practices in the country. Penn's orthopaedic oncology service sees approximately 1,100 new...

Urology Patients Benefit from Robotic Technology

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:03:00 PDT

When David I. Lee, MD, joined Penn Medicine in 2005, he was one of the first urologists in the region performing robotic-assisted prostatectomy. Now, the procedure has become the standard of care — and the treatment of choice for most men. Dr. Lee, chief of urology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, founded Penn’s robotic urology program. Five years later, he is one of the world’s most...

TransOral Robotic Surgery (TORS): New Procedure Developed at Penn Changes the Treatment of Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:20:00 PDT

In December 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for the treatment of tumors of the mouth and throat in adults. TORS, a minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgical procedure, was developed at Penn in 2004. Beginning in 2005, more than 375 Penn patients participated in the world’s first clinical trials of TORS — the most...

Less Invasive Gynecologic Surgery - Leads to Quicker Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Penn Medicine) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:29:00 PDT

The addition of robotics has transformed gynecologic surgery at Penn Medicine. Using advanced robotic techniques, Penn offers the most advanced diagnosis and treatment of gynecologic conditions. An active program with skilled surgeons is the key to successful outcomes in robotic surgery and many of Penn’s gynecologic surgeons are recognized nationally for their experience. In fact, Penn...