Treatments

Featuring a Range of Same-day and Minimally or Non-invasive Procedures.

East Jefferson General Hospital is the first in our region with two daVinci XI Robotic Surgical Systems and now also has the Stryker MAKO Orthopaedic Surgical Robot.
These robots, when in the hands of our surgeons, are changing the way joint replacement procedures, minimally invasive hysterectomies, prostatectomies, gall bladder removals and many other surgeries are performed.

The emphasis is on minimally invasive procedures. These surgeries, done with minuscule incisions sometimes no wider than the width of a quarter, allow for equal or better outcomes with less blood loss, shorter hospital stays and much faster recovery times.

With the Cox Maze Procedure, our hybrid suite and other innovative approaches to heart procedures, East Jefferson General Hospital is recognized as a leader in CVT surgery not only in our region, but beyond. With leading hospitals like Cedars Sinai, and surgeons from Russia observing our cases and conferring with our surgeons/physicians, East Jefferson General Hospital is seen as a hospital that is providing best practices for others to follow.

With the work of our cardiologists, CVT surgeons, Electrophysiologists and others, we are not just treating atrial fibrillation (A-Fib), but we are actually curing it!

Minimally and non-invasive procedures

East Jefferson General Hospital combines the exceptional skills of our surgical teams with the latest innovations in surgical technology. As pioneers in robotics and radiosurgery, we offer more options for minimally and non-invasive procedures than ever before. What does that mean for our patients? It means they are able to get back to their jobs, families, and life faster than ever.

daVinci Robotic Surgical System

As the first hospital in our region to introduce the daVinci Xi®, East Jefferson General Hospital continues building on its reputation as a leader in minimally invasive surgery. The Xi is the latest generation in robotic surgery systems. It affords surgeons multi-quadrant access for the first time in history. To the physician, the Xi affords greater lines of sight, greater mobility and greater possibilities than ever before. To you it means the world of minimally invasive surgery continues to improve and expand to more and more specialties treating more and more ailments. It means smaller incisions, less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, faster recovery times, and, in some cases, remarkably improved outcomes.

Novalis Tx

The Novalis Tx™ allows physicians to perform image-guided radiosurgery — a fast, accurate non-surgical treatment for cancer and other conditions in the brain, head, neck, and body. Radiosurgery uses a targeted, external radiation beam designed to shrink a tumor, or interfere with its ability to grow. The process is painless, non-invasive, and has few side effects.

Trilogy Stereotactic System

New hope in the treatment of brain, spine and prostate tumors

The Trilogy system delivers radiation therapy to aggressively shrink tumors in the brain, spine and prostate. Using the most advanced diagnostic imaging technology to create a three dimensional image of your tumor, Trilogy creates a radiation beam that is precisely shaped to match the tumor. Healthy tissue is spared as the targeted radiation destroys the cancerous cells, giving physicians greater treatment accuracy, and the flexibility to change treatment as your tumor shrinks. The end result is individualized cancer care for you.

What is Trilogy?

Radiation-based technology used to battle cancer in various areas of the body. One of the most advanced pieces of equipment on the market, Trilogy can deliver targeted doses of radiation to specific areas or tumors. Non-invasive way to fight cancer.

Advantages of Trilogy

• Painlessly delivers radiation. After you are positioned, it feels no different than an x-ray.
• Diagnostic tools, such as MRI, Pet Scan and CT, are used to locate, measure and shape the tumor. Using state-of-the-art software, your tumor will be created on the computer so that the beam of radiation can be exactly shaped to match your tumor.
• When delivering your sized and shaped beam of radiation, it is aimed precisely at your tumor. Because the beam matches your tumor, very little healthy tissue is damaged. As the tumor shrinks, the beam adjusts accordingly. Also, Trilogy gives flexibility to deliver the beam from different angles.
• Done on an outpatient basis.
• Can deliver a full dose of radiation instead of the need for multiple treatments.
• Return home and resume normal activities sooner.

Trilogy – fewer treatments, better outcomes, faster recovery. Yet another example of East Jefferson General Hospital providing care that is second to none.

Yttrium Micro Embolization

The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 19,000 new cases of primary liver cancer will be diagnosed in the US in 2004 and that more than 14,000 will die from the disease. Unlike most other cancers, the number of liver cancers is rising.

The Radiology and Radiation Oncology departments at East Jefferson General Hospital have joined forces to offer a new treatment for patients with primary and metastatic liver cancer. It offers not only a new therapy option, but also a less invasive procedure with fewer side effects.

This cutting edge procedure, called Yttrium Microsphere Embolization, uses tiny particles injected directly into the blood supply of a liver tumor. The particles, or microspheres, are impregnated with a radioactive compound that delivers radiation to malignant cells while reducing damage to surrounding healthy tissue compared to other forms of radiation therapy. In addition, the microspheres block blood flow to the tumor, starving it of the nutrients it needs to grow.

Before a patient undergoes Yttrium Microsphere Embolization, an arteriogram is performed. This radiologic exam uses an injected dye to visualize the blood vessels surrounding the tumor. The results of the arteriogram are used to determine if the patient is a good candidate, and to provide a map of the vessels that will be used to deliver the microspheres.

The procedure is performed by an interventional radiologist via a catheter inserted through an artery. The catheter is guided through the body and into the liver through the hepatic artery, the main vessel carrying blood into the liver. From the hepatic artery, the microspheres are injected and travel with the normal flow of blood to reach the capillaries that supply the cancer.

The procedure is being used for patients whose tumors cannot be removed surgically or have not responded to other treatments. Liver cancer is difficult to treat because liver tumors have unpredictable growth patterns and symptoms often appear only when the cancer is in advanced stages. Also, many patients diagnosed with liver cancer have Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or cirrhosis. These conditions make surgery difficult because patients may have very little healthy liver tissue left.

Because it is minimally invasive, it presents fewer risks, such as infection and complications from anesthesia, than traditional open surgery. Most patients who undergo Yttrium Microsphere Embolization can return home on the day of their procedure.