My Health Quest is a comprehensive magazine with all the health tips you need to stay on the path to a healthier you, while also educating you about the health and medical resources available right here in your community.
Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/141626
i PINPOINT PRECISION FOR HYSTERECTOMY Hysterectomy should not be taken lightly. When medication, radiofrequency ablation and surgery have failed to relieve symptoms, a hysterectomy, especially when performed by experts in the procedure, can help. "Under the surgeon's control, the da Vinci® Surgical System's instruments perform movements that couldn't be accomplished if the surgeon were operating by hand or by traditional laparoscopy. This is just another way the robotic system makes hysterectomies and other gynecological procedures more precise and safer, with quicker recovery for patients." —Janusz E. Rudnicki, MD, FACOG, OB/GYN at Putnam Hospital Center If women who have chronic pelvic pain, endometriosis, uterine fibroids or other gynecologic conditions don't experience relief of symptoms after trying conservative treatments, they may be candidates for hysterectomy—removal of the uterus. The da Vinci® Surgical System allows OB/GYNs at Putnam Hospital Center and Vassar Brothers Medical Center to perform hysterectomies for certain patients through several small incisions in the stomach. A physician seated at a console in the operating room controls the robotic system, which matches his or her hand and finger movements as he or she navigates the patient's anatomy and performs complex procedures guided by 3-D images on a high-definition monitor. "Most da Vinci hysterectomy patients return home the day after surgery having lost less blood and needing less pain medication than open hysterectomy patients; they also develop fewer scars," says Donna Kasello, MD, FACOG, board-certified OB/GYN, who performs da Vinci hysterectomy at VBMC. "Often, these individuals can return to work within two weeks—a significant benefit for busy women." LEARNING ABOUT YOUR MEDICAL OPTIONS IS IMPORTANT TO YOUR HEALTH. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DA VINCI ROBOTIC SURGERY, VISIT WWW.HEALTHQUEST.ORG/DAVINCI. HELPING YOU KEEP A HEALTHY HEAD (AND NECK) ON YOUR SHOULDERS Physicians at Vassar Brothers Medical Center's Head and Neck Institute bring academic-level care for head and neck disorders to your communities. Part of The Dyson Center for Cancer Care at VBMC, the Head and Neck Institute utilizes advanced diagnostic techniques and treatments for cancers—including those of the larynx, oral cavity, pharynx and thyroid gland—and benign conditions of the head and neck. "Few community hospitals have a dedicated head and neck surgeon, radiologists with expertise in interpreting images of the head and neck, and monthly, multidisciplinary head and neck tumor conferences in which physicians discuss complex cases; VBMC has all of these things," says Jason Cohen, MD, FACS, Medical Director of the Institute. "In addition to excellent care, we offer support groups that complement the emotional assistance patients receive from their physicians and families." Support groups—one for former laryngectomy (voice box removal) patients, and one for survivors of head and neck cancer—meet monthly at The Dyson Center. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SERVICE AND SUPPORT CONTACTS, CALL 845 4836314. 4 Health Quest