Seriously ill infants with a suspected genetic disorder should undergo genome sequencing (GS) as a first-line genetic test rather than the current standard of care that can take months or years to play out, researchers reported recently in Genetics in Medicine, the official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). The…
The Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for Perioperative Spine: Preoperative Osteoporosis Assessment recently was published in Neurosurgery. To develop these recommendations, the authors performed systematic review of the literature using national databases for studies relevant to preoperative diagnostic studies that predict increased risk of osteoporosis-related postoperative complications and whether the preoperative…
Research at Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, is dedicated to understanding and managing diverse types of heart conditions affecting children and adults with congenital heart disease. We accomplish this locally and through large multicenter collaborative efforts. What we find in these studies adds to a growing literature available to…
New evidence-based guidelines covering five key perioperative spine assessments were issued recently by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The guidelines, published in the medical journal Neurosurgery, provide insight on the following: Preoperative osteoporosis assessment Preoperative nutritional assessment Preoperative pulmonary evaluation and optimization Preoperative opioid evaluation Preoperative surgical risk assessment A team of eight physicians from…
A cutting-edge new treatment specifically targets prostate cancer cells to deliver a tumor-killing radioisotope and helped extend patients’ lives longer in an international clinical trial (VISION Study), according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on Sept. 16, 2021. The drug, lutetium-177–PSMA-617, was used to treat patients with metastatic castration-resistant…
Norton Cancer Institute’s clinical research program was developed to ensure that cancer patients in our community and region have access to evolving clinical science. Guided by an experienced cadre of physicians and supported by a team of clinical research nurses and coordinators, Norton Cancer Institute oversees about 200 active clinical trials at any point in…
This is an exciting time for Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. The clinical-academic partnership for all pediatric hematology/oncology inpatient, outpatient and pediatric infusion care provides more integrated care options, treatments, and resources for children throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Patients receive high quality clinical care and have access to…
At any time, Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, is participating in dozens of clinical trials, representing a wide gamut of diagnoses and moving our understanding of childhood cancers forward. Norton Children’s Cancer Institute is a member of the Children’s Oncology Group and typically opens the same treatment studies and…
Inline revision of pedicle screws without increasing the screw diameter can be achieved using dual-pitch screws with cancellous pitch in the vertebral body and cortical pitch in the pedicle, according to a study published in The Spine Journal. “Dual-pitch screws may allow for inline revision of screws without upsizing screw diameter, minimizing the risk of…
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols have the potential to hasten recovery from lumbar fusion surgery for degenerative spine conditions, with reduced in-hospital opioid consumption and improved postoperative pain scores, according to a study published recently in Global Spine Journal. ERAS, which includes preoperative counseling, nutritional and medical optimization, standardized pain management and anesthesia, and…
After participating in a groundbreaking clinical trial that showed the Optune tumor treatment field device improves glioblastoma multiforme survival when combined with chemotherapy, neuro-oncologists at the Norton Healthcare Brain Tumor Center in Louisville, Kentucky, are treating non-trial participants. Approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the device in conjunction with maintenance temozolomide chemotherapy…
Five years after complex adult spinal deformity surgery, patients reported durable improvement in a range of measurable outcomes, according to a recently published study. Patients reported improvements in lower-back pain functionality (Oswestry Disability Index), overall health (SF-36 physical and mental health scores), health-related quality of life (Scoliosis Research Society – 22R) and back and leg…