TAMPA, FL -- A bay area woman suffered foot pain so intense she wanted her foot amputated. She found relief with a Tampa doctor using cryosurgery. Arlene Callithen's right foot looks normal and healthy but a nerve problem called Morton's Neuroma has kept her in unbearable pain. On a scale of one to ten, it was a ten. Many times I said to my husband, I'm going to find a doctor who will cut my foot off." Arlene tried Novocain injections, nerve blocks and traditional surgery but the pain always returned. She says, I can't go to Walmart. I can't walk my dog without the pain and it hasn't been a week, it's been years." Then she learned about Dr. Marc Katz, a Tampa doctor using cryosurgery to fix foot pain. The freezing procedure takes 15 minutes. The doctor administers a local anesthetic so Arlene won't feel the probe that is inserted between her toes. Dr. Katz says, "I've made the procedure more efficient by using a color ultrasound which makes the procedure more precise." After the exact nerve is frozen, the probe is removed. Antibiotic cream is put in the wound, the foot is wrapped and the patient is able to walk to the car. Arlene felt, No pain at all!" The doctor says patients come from all over the country to have this procedure done. He's done 15 hundred procedures, about 10 a week. Dr. Katz says, The nerve is killed during the procedure, but nerves always re-grow. But the idea is when it re-grows, it re-grows into a more normal nerve." Recovery time is about 48 hours <b>...</b>

cryosurgery

Dr. Edward Mackay discusses the causes and symptoms of varicose veins and what can be done to help prevent or detect this.

SAMSUNG DVD RECORDER VOLUME Movie1 Full 9

Dr. Robert Miller of WellSpring Oncology, St. Petersburg, Florida talks about the new treatment of Tomotherapy and its effects on prostate cancer.

prostate cancer tomotherapy wellspring oncology cancer dr. robert miller

Less invasive procedure saves lives from 'silent killer' CLEARWATER, FL -- Its called the silent killer. Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm often presents with no symptoms but if it ruptures it can kill you in twenty minutes. Doctors at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater are saving lives without putting patients through major surgery. 82 year old Bob Lapin is lucky to be alive. He came back to Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater to talk about the silent killer that almost got him. I have a very bad back." Images taken to diagnosis his back pain uncovered an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, also called a Triple A. Doctor Mitchell Weiss explains, The aneurysm is a weakening of the aortic wall, its like a pregnant belly here." Bob knew, if left untreated, the aneurysm could kill him. I had a friend who had died because he had an aneurysm and it had burst. So I was not going to put off having this thing fixed." Fixing this type of problem once required invasive surgery. Doctor Weiss is part of the team at Morton Plant that starting to use a stent and a few small incisions to save patients like Bob. Through a small groin incision, the doctor inserts a stent into the aorta. The stent reinforces the aortic wall and Bob says, Believe it or not, two weeks later I was white-water rafting in Idaho with my grandkids." The doctor says, Its a far cry from when things started and patients that had open surgery and were in the intensive care unit for two days then were in the hospital for a week or <b>...</b>

SILENT KILLER

SPINE SURGERY AND LASERS: ADVANCED TECHNIQUE OR EXPENSIVE GIMMICK? Local Neurosurgeon Stresses Importance of Making Sure Your Surgeon Properly Selects Procedure Based on Results and Minimal Risk St. Petersburg, FL With back pain affecting more than 65 million Americans every year, it is no wonder it is the nations 9th most expensive medical condition with annual costs soaring for treatment nearing $32 billion, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Much of this expenditure comes from medical advances and technology treatments such as laser surgery, but are they truly advanced techniques or just expensive gimmicks? Many patients come to my office asking me if I can use a laser to help their particular cause of back or leg pain, says local St. Petersburg Neurosurgeon, David McKalip, MD The answers are both yes and no. Weve found the medical expenses from laser spine surgery can sometime be 10 times higher than most insurance companies will pay. Yes, lasers can be used during surgery, but they are usually not needed because most of the relief that occurs during surgery for leg pain does not come from using a laser, but comes from the standard techniques neurosurgeons use all the time. In essence, back and leg pain sufferers often believe that laser surgery is the superior, yet, more expensive answer to relieve their pain when, in fact, relief can come at a fraction of the cost with decompression of the <b>...</b>

BACK SURGERY

Dr. Jennifer Hayes of Visionary Centre for Women talks about how the G-Shot enhances the lives of women.

SPOT

Gynecologist, Dr. Jennifer Hayes says 11 percent of women admit they don't get regular Pap smears. Dr. Hayes reminds this helps screen for cervical changes and cervical cancer. Dr. Hays says researchers are looking for newer and better ways to detect HPV and detect the women that need ongoing follow-up treatment. Dr. Hayes says one of the most exciting research on the forefront, focuses on a new gene being tested. It will be able to identify women with HPV and those who might progress on to cervical cancer. Dr. Hayes says vaccination is key in preventing HPV. The American Cancer Society reports the following are risk factors for cervical cancer: HPV Lack of regular Pap tests Weak immune system Sexual history Smoker Birth control pills Multiple pregnancies

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