BREAKTHROUGHS
at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine
NEW VAD
Cardiology
Washington University surgeons are
implanting an investigational left ventricular
assist device (VAD) called the Jarvik 2000
FlowMaker. The size of a C battery, it takes
up very little space inside the chest and can
be implanted through a small incision.
The device reduces the risk of clots and
allows patients to adjust the flow depending
on their activities. Robert Jarvik, MD, a
pioneer in artificial hearts and assist devices,
was present in the operating room at
Barnes-Jewish Hospital for the placement
of the first Jarvik 2000 VAD.
For information about VADs, including clinical trials, call 314-454-7687.
TRANSLAMINAR FIXATION
Orthopedics
Washington University neurosurgeon
Neill Wright, MD, has developed a technique
that is now a standard treatment worldwide
for patients with instability of the
upper cervical spine. Beginning in the 1990s,
surgeons used techniques called transarticular
fixation to stabilize the spine; these were
demanding for the surgeon to perform
and carried a significant risk of injury to
vertebral arteries and stroke. Wright’s
procedure, called translaminar fixation,
stabilizes the spine and avoids those risks.
View a video at bjhne.ws.bz.
PHOTOACOUSTIC TOMOGRAPHY
Cancer
A new imaging technique could speed the detection of cancer. Called photoacoustic tomography, the technique uses light and sound to make the invisible become visible,
replacing X-ray’s gray images with color images. Washington University researcher Lihong Wang, PhD, and other scientists at the Siteman Cancer Center are moving four
applications into clinical trials: visualizing lymph nodes important in breast cancer staging, monitoring early response to chemotherapy and imaging melanomas and the gastrointestinal tract.
View a video at siteman.wustl.edui.