Shock wave treatment for intraductal pancreatic stones, AI tool for managing bowel dysfunction, upcoming cancer care conference and more.
Noninvasive Treatment for Intraductal Pancreatic Stones
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is a noninvasive procedure originally developed to treat kidney stones and later applied to gallstones and pancreatic stones. It uses high-energy shock waves to break up calculi (stones) into smaller pieces so that they can pass through the body or become easier to extract.
“ESWL is an effective and less invasive alternative to surgery for large stones and a promising approach for managing challenging cases. That makes it an important addition to the treatment options we can now offer our patients,” says fellowship-trained interventional endoscopist Tilak Shah, MD, Medical Director of the Pancreas Center at Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital. Dr. Shah performed the first cases of ESWL for pancreatic stones at Weston Hospital earlier this year, making it one of the few centers in Florida now offering ESWL.
The Pancreas Center at Weston Hospital is a National Pancreatic Foundation Center of Excellence, one of only four in Florida recognized for providing comprehensive, exceptional care for pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis.
AI Tool for Managing Bowel Dysfunction
Up to 70% of rectal cancer survivors who undergo a partial or total resection of the rectum experience a distressing group of bowel-related symptoms referred to as low anterior resection syndrome (LARS). Symptoms include fecal incontinence, urgency, frequency, and painful evacuation.
Colorectal surgeon Marylise Boutros, MD, Director of Research for Cleveland Clinic’s Digestive Disease Institute in Florida, is leading a team of researchers with Cleveland Clinic in Florida and McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, in a collaboration to develop a LARS-AI tool that can provide patients with real-time education on self-management strategies for their symptoms.
The LARS-AI intervention will use narrow AI with natural language processing (NLP) to interpret patient queries and create tailored responses in real-time based on a database of clinical scenarios and expert advice.
“The LARS-AI tool we are now developing builds upon our previous research and is the next step in empowering patients to self-manage their symptoms, alongside their clinical care team, and regain their quality of life as rectal cancer survivors,” says Dr. Boutros.
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Upcoming Cancer Care Conference in Florida
If you are a healthcare professional involved in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer, make plans to attend the upcoming Cleveland Clinic Cancer Conference November 1st through 3rd, 2024 in Hollywood, Florida.
Current, new and future advances in cancer care will be discussed. The role of emerging technologies, supportive care and non-pharmacologic care of the cancer patient will be addressed. In addition to didactic lectures, case-based discussions will address the more challenging situations faced by cancer caregivers.
Young Artist is Seizure-Free After Surgery
In 2017, Airin Rodriguez saw her son have a seizure for the first time. Jorge, a 31 year old artist, lives with Airin and is autistic. He was put on medication, but the seizures continued.
Five years later, Airin brought Jorge to the emergency room at Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital for stomach pain but she also spoke to them about Jorge’s seizures.
Jorge was admitted to the epilepsy unit by Samer Riaz, DO, an epileptologist at Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital in the Department of Neurology. Jorge underwent a detailed evaluation and Dr. Riaz worked with a multidisciplinary team to find the source of the seizures. Based on the testing and imaging, Dr. Riaz and Neurosurgeon Badih Adada, MD, Chair of the Neurological Institute at Cleveland Clinic in Florida determined Jorge was a candidate for surgery.
In August of 2022, Dr. Adada removed the lesion in the area of the brain causing Jorge’s seizures. He has not had a seizure in the year and a half since the procedure. “Jorge is seizure-free and I am hopeful he will remain that way,” Dr. Riaz says of his prognosis. Read more about Jorge’s case.
Learn more about referring your patients to Cleveland Clinic in Florida.