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Thursday, July 16, 2009

UMC First in Nevada to View Parts of Human Body Never Seen Before

UMC is the first hospital in Nevada to introduce SpyGlass Direct Visualization Technology. This state-of-the-art technology allows UMC to care for patients with liver, bile duct and gallbladder problems in a way that could only once be imagined.
“The traditional means of diagnosing these kinds of problems was through a two dimensional x-ray that never let us look right at the actual parts of the body being affected. Now, with the help of a tiny camera, we can go where no doctor has ever gone before, allowing for more accurate diagnosis and in some cases even treatment without surgery,” UMC Gastroenterologist Dr. Shahid Wahid said.
The SpyGlass Technology includes a fiber optic probe that attaches to a camera. The probe is inserted through a catheter that can be steered in two different directions to access and inspect the treatment area. The device also allows for optically guided biopsies, which in the past took an entire surgery to perform.
SpyGlass paves a whole new frontier in medicine for treatment and diagnosis of conditions such as gallstones and suspected malignancies in areas of the body that help with digestion.
This trail-blazing technology allows UMC surgeons to diagnose cancer quicker than traditional methods, enabling decisions about a patient’s course of treatment to be made sooner than before.
“This new technology shows once again that UMC offers cutting-edge technology at our community’s hospital. Southern Nevada’s gold standard for healthcare is University Medical Center,” Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly said.
For more information on the new SpyGlass technology please contact Danita Cohen, Public Relations Coordinator, by calling 702-383-3987 or emailing danita.cohen@umcsn.com.

Media Note: UMC has moving animation and video clips of SpyGlass Technology available for use in your story.

Contact Information:
Danita Cohen
(702) 383-3987
Danita.Cohen@umcsn.com
University Medical Center
1800 West Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89102