medpundit |
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Monday, April 30, 2007A 4-year-old boy lay on an operating table here a few weeks ago with a tumor that had eaten into his brain and the base of his skull. Standard surgery would involve cutting open his face, leaving an ugly scar and hindering his facial growth as he matured. But doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center knew a way to avoid those devastating consequences. They removed much of the tumor through the boy's nose. Yikes. I'm sure it sounds worse than it was. Other types of surgery: Doctors in New York and in France have announced they removed gall bladders through the vaginas of two women. And doctors in India say they have performed appendectomies through the mouth. Many questions remain about the approach. But doctors say it holds the promise of providing a faster recovery with less pain and no visible scars. And in the brain, it can avoid a need for manipulating tissue that could disturb brain and eye function. For abdominal surgery, going through the mouth, vagina or rectum would avoid the need to cut through sensitive tissues. And deep inside the body, where tissue doesn't feel lasting pain, the procedures themselves might be less traumatic. Wonder how the infection rate compares? The vagina, mouth, and nose all have higher rates of bacterial colonization than the skin. I think they're still working out the details. posted by Sydney on 4/30/2007 01:19:00 PM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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