Lawrence Lenke, MD, Named New Spinal Surgery Chief

2012/02/23

Congratulations to Lawrence Lenke, MD. In an announcement from Washington University School of Medicine, Dr. Lenke was named chief of spinal surgery at Washington University Orthopedics at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. From the release:

“Larry Lenke is an outstanding surgeon, researcher and educator, and I am confident he will lead the spine division to new levels of excellence,” says Richard H. Gelberman, MD, the Fred C. Reynolds Professor and head of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Dr. Lenke sees pediatric and adult patients requiring spinal surgery. His practice is devoted spinal surgery, with an emphasis on complex reconstructive surgery and the treatment of various spinal deformities such as scoliosis, kyphosis, spondylolisthesis, and many other anomalies of the spine.

For more information about treatment of spinal injuries at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, click here or for more about Dr. Lenke, watch this video:

 

-Jason Merrill

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Concussions Are Brain Injuries — Know The Symptoms

2012/02/17

 

Sports medicine specialist Mark Halstead, MD, is known for his work in treating concussions in young athletes

Concussion awareness has probably never been higher. As a lifelong fan of the NFL, it’s been interesting to see the game change from one where hits to the head were celebrated, to one where hits to the head can lead to suspension. And that’s at the professional level. That says nothing about the young athletes at the high school level who can suffer dangerous injury from a hit to the head.

It’s because concussions are nothing to mess around with. According to our Mark Halstead, MD, a sports medicine expert with Washington University Orthopedics, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, concussions are ”an injury to the brain,” he says.

Last night, KSDK talked with Dr. Halstead about the impact of conussions:

“We do know that if you have repetitive concussions, you’re more likely to have more severe symptoms or more likely to have one than the person who’s never had one before,” Halstead said. “Someone who’s had three concussions is nine times more likely to have symptoms that are worse than someone who’s had one for the first time.”

Recently, Dr. Halstead participated in a study in the journal Pediatrics that said childhood concussions have doubled, even as sports participation has gone down.

So it’s important to know concussion symptoms:

  • Loss of Consciousness (although most concussions don”t involve being “knocked out”)headache
  • Feeling Dizzy/Foggy/Slow
  • Trouble thinking, remembering, or concentrating
  • Nausea/Vomiting
  • Drowsiness/Decreased energy
  • Ringing in the ears
  • Slurred Speech

For more information about concussions, visit our website here.

-Jason Merrill

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Not Too Late To Get Your Flu Shot

2012/02/10

For those who haven’t done so already, it’s not too late to get your flu shot. But don’t wait too much longer.

According to the Associated Press:

 ”St. Louis County health officials reported 122 new cases of the flu for the week ending Feb. 5 – more than double the 52 cases from the previous week. Two weeks ago, there were just 17 new cases. For the season, St. Louis County has recorded 279 confirmed cases of influenza. Most were Type A, and those who were sick were largely in the ages 2 to 14 category.”

At Barnes-Jewish, we have seen an uptick in cases as well. Steve Lawrence, MD, Washington University infectious disease specialist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital told KMOX Radio’s Fred Bodimer, “We’re likely to see flu activity for at least the next four to six weeks. We’re just at the beginning of the epidemic curve, as we call it, and if people were to get a flu vaccine particularly in the next week or two there’s plenty of time for it to take effect.”

So get out there and roll up your sleeve. And remember next flu season, we at Barnes-Jewish supply flu shots at no cost to the St. Louis community every October. for a look back at what we do, watch this from October 2011:

-Jason Merrill

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Cold weather can be hazardous to compromised immune systems

2012/02/08

When we think of cold weather and health, some things that comes to mind might be the flu, colds, strep throat. In the winter months, these illness are most prevalent, and they can wreak havoc on those with compromised immune systems.

Chances are, you know someone who has a condition, such as lupus or cancer, that makes it difficult for them to fight off even the common cold. When their white blood cell counts get low, their physicians may tell them to avoid contact with others to help stave off infection. While this is a good idea, in the long run it may be hazardous to their emotional well-being.

Teresa Deshields, the manager of psycho-oncology services at Siteman Cancer Center, was recently interviewed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in an article addressing patients who are more susceptible to infections. She has a different outlook on why, and how, patients can keep up their social activities and families and friends can offer social support – and it’s this support that can help patients to have better medical outcomes.

To read more about this timely topic, go here.

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Meet Tamara Ramage, intraoperative MRI patient

2012/02/07

When Tamara Ramage started waking up in hot and cold sweats and constantly felt nauseous, she knew something was wrong. She was a very healthy, fitness-minded young woman in her mid-20′s who took pride in how well she took care of her body.

Her father took her to the emergency room, and she was diagnosed with a very rare brain tumor. So rare, in fact, that she was one of only seven people in the world ever diagnosed with her type of tumor. Upon hearing that, she expected the worst.

However, when she met with her neurology team at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, their recommendation was surgery and their outlook was positive. They would be using a new technology called intraoperative MRI, or iMRI, which involves doing a brain scan during surgery to make sure the surgeons had removed as much of the tumor as possible. This allowed her surgeons to remove the tumor, the first time, without harming healthy tissue.

Thanks to this breakthrough technology and the Washington University neurosurgeons, Tamara is back to the picture of health she was prior to the diagnosis, and soon you’ll be able to see her in new advertisements around the St. Louis area.

To learn more about the lifesaving technology of iMRI, click here.

 

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Dr. Greg Zipfel, Neurosurgeon

2012/02/06

Dr. Greg Zipfel, a Washington University neurosurgeon here at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, likes a lot about being a neurosurgeon. One of his favorite things is just how innovative it can be.

Specializing in brain tumor removal, Dr. Zipfel has used a technique that allows him to access and remove tumors through a patient’s nose. That’s right – a very small camera and operating tools are inserted through the nose, which allows for the physician to get as much of the tumor as possible. This type of endoscopic surgery, called endonasal, doesn’t leave an external scar, which is a bonus for the patient.

To learn more about what makes Dr. Zipfel tick, and other innovations in neurosurgery, watch his interview below:

 

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