Crystal Clear Imaging - A new “sonar like” tool helps physicians make more accurate diagnoses

Physicians at Seton Medical Center can observe structures inside your body with amazing clarity to diagnose problems at early stages. One versatile tool they use is called endoscopic ultrasound, which enables examination of the stomach and intestines. Endoscopic ultrasound is so accurate that it provides the most precise treatment for the best possible outcome.

An endoscope is a thin, flexible tube with a light and a video camera on its tip. This is inserted through the mouth to navigate the esophagus, stomach, or colon, and gives doctors a live, crystal clear image of these organs’ linings. What makes endoscopic ultrasound unique is that it adds a second imaging technology—ultrasound—to its video camera. Ultrasound creates live images with high-frequency sound waves and their echoes, similar to the way a submarine uses sonar. With an ultrasound probe on the tip of the endoscope, physicians can see through organs’ linings and view clear images of their deeper layers, or even view adjacent structures. For example, the scope can see through the stomach wall to the nearby pancreas.

“With this technique, we can find tiny tumors that other imaging tests such as CT and MRI might not be able to detect,” says Vino J. Verghese, M.D., a Gastroenterologist affiliated with Seton. “Endoscopic ultrasound helps us to stage cancers as accurately as possible.” With highly accurate diagnoses, Seton’s physicians are able to provide the most appropriate treatments and offer their patients every advantage toward overcoming cancer and other diseases.

PET/CT Scanner Comes to Seton

A superior diagnostic imaging tool is now available at Seton Medical Center. A PET/CT scanner combines two of the most advanced imaging modalities that help physicians make the most accurate diagnoses possible, especially for cancer patients.Positron emission tomography (PET) is a highly sensitive method for identifying tumor sites in the body, including tumors too small to be detected by other means. “PET scanning lacks anatomical reference markers, however, so we can’t always tell the exact location of a tumor,” says Stephen Gerard, M.D., Ph.D., a Nuclear Physician, Clinical Pathologist, and Chief of Nuclear Medicine at Seton. “Computed tomography [CT] scanning provides precise detail of anatomic structures such as bones and soft tissue, so when you fuse the two images together digitally, more accurate assessments about the presence and extent of disease can be made.” For patients with lung, colon, breast, esophageal, cervical, melanoma, and head and neck cancers, the PET/CT scanner helps them receive the most appropriate treatment and monitors their response to that treatment.“Our new PET/CT scanner,” adds Dr. Gerard, “is another example of Seton’s commitment to clinical excellence, innovation, and leading technology.”

Keeping the Beat

The Electrophysiology Lab has a complex name but a simple mission: keeping your heart beating properly. Some peoples’ hearts can beat irregularly or not strongly enough, due to malfunctions in the heart’s complex electrical system. Millions of Americans and many people in our community experience these life-altering problems, including atrial fibrillations, palpitations, slow rhythms, and heart failure.The Electrophysiology Lab in the San Francisco Heart and Vascular Institute at Seton Medical Center addresses these issues using advanced technology and techniques. In the lab, heart specialists perform a minimally invasive test in which they place sensors in the heart chambers to monitor electrical activity and create a digital, 3-D map of the heart’s electrical system. “From this map, we can pinpoint where abnormal electrical activity occurs and decide which treatments can heal or manage it,” says Louis L. Manilla, Manager of the Institute.Treatments performed in the lab are some of the most advanced available anywhere. For more information about help for heart rhythm problems or to make an appointment with a heart specialist, contact the Institute at 650.991.6712.

A Safe Alternativeto Hysterectomy

A new gynecological procedure performed at Seton Medical Center helps women control excessive menstrual bleeding—called menorrhagia—without a need for hormones or a hysterectomy. Ten million women in the United States live with menorrhagia, which can also cause severe pain and fatigue. A procedure called the NovaSure Endometrial Ablation System reduces or eliminates excessive bleeding by safely removing the endometrial lining of the uterus. “Most women who undergo the NovaSure procedure rarely experience bleeding again during their monthly cycle,” says Katie Shapiro, M.D., an OB/GYN affiliated with Seton. “We want women to know that a safe alternative to hysterectomy exists, which requires no incisions, has minimal recovery time, and is performed on an outpatient basis. This is an effective treatment for women who have completed childbearing." “The NovaSure highlights our longstanding commitment to providing patients with the best technology for their health and well-being,” says Stephen Scheifele, M.D., an OB/GYN affiliated with Seton.To find out more about the NovaSure System, call 800.436.2404 to make an appointment with an OB/GYN associated with Seton, or go to Seton Medical Center.