Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Videotaped colonoscopies may result in better physician performance and more accurate outcomes for patients, according to CureToday.com. A study lead by Dr. Douglas Rex with Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis found that videotaping such procedures resulted in a change in physician behavior. “Basically the doctors went slower and looked more carefully” when videotaped, Dr. Rex says. The findings were presented this week at the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting in San Diego, Calif.

Read the rest of this entry »

The annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in San Diego, Calif., is conjuring up even more good news for consumers, especially those who have to undergo colonoscopies anytime soon. The procedure – which is recommended for those 50 years and older, those with a family history of colon cancer, or those experiencing symptoms of the disease – is getting more accurate, thanks to better techniques and equipment such as a camera that helps detect polyps and other lesions in the colon and the intestines, according to a report on Web MD.

Read the rest of this entry »

A new study presented at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 74th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, Calif., places new emphasis on the importance of adequate bowel preparation prior to colonoscopies. The news comes as clinicians are evaluating new bowel preparation solutions to replace popular ones that were pulled from the market or given a black box warning by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Read the rest of this entry »

Forty-eight people who are out of work or without health insurance received free colonoscopy screenings at a Knoxville, Tenn., gastrointestinal clinic over the weekend. Gastrointestinal Associates (GIA) planned the event, called GIA Screening Colonoscopy Day to help those less fortunate and to make everyone aware of the need for colon screenings.

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the hottest topics in nephrology over the past few years has been the epidemiologic and histopathologic studies that suggest a link between oral sodium phosphate (OSP) colonoscopy preparations and a serious form of kidney injury known as acute phosphate nephrology, according to The Renal Fellow Network.

As more cases of the condition were reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency last December issued a black box warning on prescription brands of OSP, such as Visicol and Osmo Prep. C.B. Fleet, makers of over-the-counter OSPs, also pulled their products from store shelves. While the Fleet products were deemed safe when taken in low doses as a laxative, Fleet had recommended doctors to tell their patients to use the over-the-counter OSPs in higher doses to prep the bowel prior to colonoscopies.

Read the rest of this entry »

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN), a group that leads the fight against kidney disease in the U.S., holds its annual meeting and scientific exposition next week as part of ASN Renal Week, October 27 – November 1, 2009. The national Renal Week was originally formed as a way to disseminate information on new advances in the science of nephrology. Since then, the educational activities have greatly expanded to meet the needs of both practicing nephrologists and renal scientists.

Read the rest of this entry »

Each year, more than 13 million patients suffer from acute kidney injury, of which more than 30 percent die. The prevalence of kidney injury has risen to epidemic proportions. Over the past 60 years, little progress has been made to improve the statistics of this condition. But Denmark-based company BioPorto Diagnostics has developed a groundbreaking test called NGAL that can diagnose acute kidney injury early, adding valuable time for doctors to take proactive steps at an early stage that will prevent kidney injury from turning into the very dangerous state of kidney failure.

Read the rest of this entry »

A new formulation of an older generation antibiotic is showing promising results in lab animals as an effective treatment in the prevention and treatment of colon cancer and could minimize the need for uncomfortable colonoscopies and surgical polyp removal.

Read the rest of this entry »

Movie stars and celebrities may swear by them, but medical experts agree that colon cleansing should only be done when medically necessary.

“Sometimes it is necessary for people preparing to undergo a medical procedure or examination, such as a colonoscopy or a colon x-ray,” says to Dr. Mark Larson, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in the Hartford Courant. “But unless a doctor has recommended it as a preparation for such procedure, I strongly discourage people from colon cleansing. It can cause traumatic injury to the colon and result in long-term medical problems.”

Read the rest of this entry »

The high cost of colonoscopies and hours in the waiting room can be a real pain in the bum for most people. But a new tool developed by researchers from North Carolina State University, Mayo Clinic and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (UMass) may help colonoscopy facilities operate more efficiently, thus lowering costs and wait times for patients.

Read the rest of this entry »