The #conjoinedtwins from #Uganda were successfully separated after a 16-hour #surgery last week in Columbus, Ohio, according to the hospital. - http://clapway.com/2015/09/08/conjoined-twins-surgery123/

Conjoined twins from Uganda were successfully separated after a 16-hour surgery last week in Columbus, Ohio, according to the hospital in a statement on Tuesday.

The 11-month-old twin girls, Acen and Apio, were connected at the hip and pelvic region. They are expected to make a full recovery, according to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Two separate individuals

Three-dimensional modeling, as well as intra-operative neurophysiological monitoring, was used to help the neurosurgeons divide their intertwined spines, muscles and tissues, said Dr. Gail Besner, chief of pediatric surgery at the hospital. Plastic surgery covered the areas where they were conjoined.

“My hope is that they will be able to sit up on their own, walk and play like any other child,” Dr. Besner said. “I can’t wait to watch them grow.”

Doctors are extremely pleased with the outcome of the surgery. The twins and their mother, Ester Akello, arrived at the hospital in December. It’s still not confirmed when they’ll be ready to go back home to Uganda.

“Given the breadth and depth of expertise of all of our specialists, we have the potential at Nationwide Children’s to take two patients who would never have been able to have a normal life as they were before and make them into two separate individuals who, I expect, will have healthy and normal lives,” said Dr. Besner.

Separating Twins

Conjoined twins occur once every 200,000 pregnancies, and their survival is anything but assured. The surgical separation of conjoined twins is an extremely delicate and risky procedure, requiring extra precision and care.

This surgery marks the fourth operation since 1978 to separate conjoined twins. Statistics show that the overall survival rate of children affected by this condition is somewhere between 5 percent and 25 percent, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. The decision to separate twins is a serious one. Doctors must first carefully assess how the twins’ shared organs function.

Stories of conjoined twins

This weekend, a Minnesota mother who gave birth to conjoined twins in Denver last month posted the first photo of her daughter Hannah. Amber McCullough had to say goodbye to her other twin girl, Olivia, whose heart was unsalvageable, USA Today reported.

The most famous case of conjoined twins is perhaps that of Abigail and Brittany Hensel, who shared their story in a documentary film by Barcroft – “The Twins Who Share A Body”. The movie takes a look at the dicephalus, or two-headed, conjoined twins from Minnesota, who share a body waist down but have two heads, two hearts, two lungs, two stomachs and two spines. Their extremely unusual form of conjoinment affects only one-in-a-million births.

Photo image courtesy of Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

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Conjoined Twins Have Normal Lives Post Surgery

#Breastcancer among #men is a rare occasion, but the rate of contralateral prophylactic #mastectomy has risen. - http://clapway.com/2015/09/04/mastectomies-men-breast-cancer123/

Breast cancer among men is a rare occasion, but between 2004-2005 and 2010-2011, the rate of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy among men who underwent surgery has risen from 3 percent to 5.6 percent – an alarming increase of 86.7 percent.

STUDY LOOKED AT OVER 6,330 MEN WHO’VE HAD THIS SURGERY

The vice president of surveillance at the American Cancer Society and lead researcher in the study told the press that it is unclear as to why there has been such a dramatic rise in the frequency of the procedure for men, especially since this type of mastectomy – in which the healthy, unaffected breast is also removed – isn’t always necessary.

The study examined 6,330 men with breast cancer in one breast between the years of 2004 and 2011. From this group, 1,254 men underwent breast-conserving surgery, 4,800 men underwent a single-breast mastectomy and 278 men underwent contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. The results, published on September 2nd, can be found in journal JAMA Surgery.

RISK OF MEN BEING DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER 1:1000

Breast cancer is most commonly associated with women, and according to the numbers, this is statistically correct. About one in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer in her lifetime. The risk for men is only about one in 1,000. Mastectomies are also the most common type of surgery to treat breast cancer in men, according to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Researchers are concerned because the increase is not just reflective of people considered to be at “high risk” for breast cancer, but for other men and women as well. Reliance on genetic testing and the use of MRI’s during diagnosis might contribute to the increase in the rate of women receiving these operations. Researchers believe this might also be the case among men.

This is concerning because “[The operation] is only recommended for a small proportion of men,” and the rates observed in the new study are higher than this proportion, stated Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, the lead researcher on the study.

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS ARE URGED TO DISCUSS BENEFITS AND DANGERS

Medical professionals suggest that doctors should really discuss the benefits and dangers of surgery with male breast cancer patients. Although only one percent of all breast cancer patients in the United States are men, more information still needs to be collected before doctors can make a solid decision regarding double mastectomies in men.

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Mastectomy Rate Rises For Men With Breast Cancer

#TissueVelcro is a biomedical wonder that will change how patients recover from #heart #surgery. - http://clapway.com/2015/08/29/tissue-velcro-mends-hearts-surgery123/

Velcro is often used to fasten clothing that we all use every day, but now doctors have made a type of tissue Velcro meant to be used on human hearts. Because heart surgery is complex and often fraught with complications, The University of Toronto, the institution spearheading the project, hopes to make the process safer for patients, allowing them to return to their normal way of life after an operation.

How does tissue Velcro work?

It’s not exactly Velcro, but that’s the easiest way to describe this innovative new tissue grafting process. The medical team uses layers of cells replicated near muscle, which when grafted on top of other layers, imitate Velcro by interlocking. Eventually the cells grow, providing the tissue necessary to support the heart as it heals.

This is not the first time that tissue samples have been used in repairing damaged organs, but the results have never been so positive according to Professor Milica Radisic, who is in charge of the project, “As soon as you click them together, they start beating, and when we apply electrical field stimulation, we see that they beat in synchrony.”

Why use tissue Velcro instead of some other material?

According to Radisic, “One of the main advantages is the ease of use.” By implementing the tissue velcro, doctors can “build larger tissue structures immediately before they are needed, and disassemble them just as easily.”

Life after heart surgery when your heart is partially made of tissue Velcro.

Whether the tissue has been adopted by the body can only be determined post heart surgery. However, with this new tissue Velcro, it is easier than ever to inspect the affected areas.

According to Radisic, “You could take the middle layer out, to see what the cells look like. Then you could apply a molecule that will cause differentiation or proliferation or whatever you want, to just that layer. Then you could put it back into the tissue, to see how it interacts with the remaining layers.”

The simplicity of the procedure will ensure that patients are able to quickly recover and return to their day-to-day lives. The bio-medical engineering breakthrough will also redesign the way doctors perform heart surgery on a scale that is yet to be known.

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New Tissue Velcro Mends Hearts After Surgery

Illegal Surgery: Man Left With Deformed Penis #blackmarket #plasticsurgery #surgery - http://clapway.com/2015/08/26/surgery-deformed-penis123

A 55-year old patient left with a severely deformed, 1-inch penis, is raising concerns over the rise of illegal surgery and unlicensed practice of health care in the U.S.

Nery Carvajal-Gonzalez, 48, has been accused of mutilating the victim by injecting his reproductive organ with fillers to make it appear bigger and thicker. The patient had complained about not being able to have sexual intercourse. But the surgery left him in a far-worst condition. “I feel no sensation when I urinate and I also suffer painful, spontaneous erections,” the patient said.

Botched Surgery

The police warrant revealed that the penis had retracted so far that it projected less than one inch from the patient’s body. “The victim’s penis was now incredibly small, yet very swollen and the skin around the shaft had been removed and was raw,” the police report stated.

Carvajal-Gonzalez is now charged with unlicensed practice of health care that caused serious injury and of practicing without a medical license. Mark Schreiber, 60, who lost his medical license in 2008, was also arrested in connection with the botched surgery. What does this incident say about illegal and life-threatening backstreet procedures?

Illegal Surgery: Unlicensed practice of medicine

A growing number of Americans are getting plastic surgery to enhance their appearances. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 15.6 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed in the United States in 2014.

Many doctors offer to perform enhancement procedures at a fraction of the price of a registered surgeon. But soon after, the problems begin.

Experts say these cases highlight the need for patients to meticulously research a plastic surgeon’s credentials before going under the knife.

Some may be unaware of a practitioner’s unlawful status, but with the costs running into the thousands of dollars, many more are choosing cheap and illegal surgery.

Black Market Plastic Surgery

Seeking fuller lips, a larger bottom, and a bigger penis, but unable to afford expensive plastic surgery procedures, many citizens in the U.S. increasingly rely on services provided by the black market.

Success stories are rare. Many patients are ultimately left with scarred appearances and serious medical issues. Dionne Stephens an assistant professor of psychology at Florida International University who studies race, gender and sexuality in hip-hop culture, told Mint Press News the problem is when black market procedures are the only option a person can afford. That’s when the hope of having the body of your dreams kills.

The exact number of people in the U.S., who have undergone – willingly or not – illegal surgery, is unknown. However, Internet forums are flooded with people discussing getting the operations and detailing the risks involved.

What do you think of illegal surgery in the U.S.? Share your views in the comments section below.

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Illegal Surgery: Man Left With Deformed Penis