Archive for the ‘Surgical News’ Category

A German woman became the mother of a new baby girl last week. What makes this story special is that baby Maja, named after the Roman goddess of fertility, was born as a result of the world’s first successful whole-ovary transplant. Susanne Butscher received her ovary from her sister, making Maja genetically her niece. The transplant procedure required microsurgery to connect the blood vessels to the ovary then positioning the ovary precisely so that eggs released from it could properly travel down the fallopian tube to be fertilized.

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“TOGA” is the acronym for transoral gastroplasty, a new type of weight loss surgery that involves making the stomach smaller by stapling it - by way of the mouth, rather than through incisions on the outside of the body. The procedure has now been performed on 98 individuals in Europe and and Mexico and, on average, those who have passed the one year mark have lost about 40% of their excess body weight. Only a few patients have tried it so far in the US as part of a study funded by Satiety, Inc., the company which makes the staplers. They are hoping to get FDA approval for the procedure, which falls in line with a current trend to make surgery less invasive and less painful. By not making incisions, you minimize many of the risks and side effects of surgery.

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A new study published in the journal Archives of Surgery suggests that chewing gum can aid recovery after gastrointestinal surgery. Some believe that the increased amounts of saliva produced from gum chewing helps to “jump start” the gut by stimulating gut function. The researchers believe more studies are needed, especially since this intervention has the potential for substantial cost savings. Full story.

Patients with arthritis severe enough to require ankle replacement now have a new option that can offer greater mobility and pain relief without permanent metal implants. A material that has been used for over 10 years in plastic and abdominal surgery as well as heart valve replacement has been successfully used by University of California, San Diego physicians to replace the worn-down cartilage of the arthritic ankle. The material is similar to the natural collagen found in cartilage and can be molded to perfectly fit any ankle joint. After 4-6 weeks, patients can slowly return to normal activity. According to the Centers for Disease Control an estimated 1 in 5 U.S. adults report doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Full story.