Keck School surgeons develop new technology to treat gastroesophageal reflux
For a number of years, John Lipham, assistant professor of surgery, and Tom DeMeester, professor of surgery at the Keck School of Medicine, have been working on alternative ways to treat GERD.
“Reflux is known to cause adenocarcinoma of the esophagus,” said Lipham. “Over the last 25 years, we have seen somewhere between a 400 and 600 percent increase in reflux caused esophageal cancer.”
Traditionally, reflux disease is treated using a surgical procedure called a Nissen fundoplication, which involves recreating a sphincter—a muscle that constricts and relaxes as required for normal physiological functioning—at the end of the esophagus.
According to Lipham, USC has an approximately 90 percent success rate with entirely stopping the reflux.
“Although the success rates of the surgery are good, there are problems associated with this procedure,” said Lipham. “One of the biggest problems is that it prevents the ability to belch or vomit and patients experience severe bloating and gas problems.”
But with new technology called the Linx Reflux Management System, now being used in the department of surgery, the treatment of reflux disease has improved. The device is like a bracelet made up of magnetic beads implanted around the end of the esophagus where the lower esophageal sphincter is located. The lower esophageal sphincter is the valve that prevents reflux, and GERD develops when this valve is weakened.
The new device is designed to augment the native sphincter and return it to a competent valve. The magnetic beads open with a given pressure, allowing patients to belch, vomit and swallow normally. By allowing patients to belch normally, the device allows air to escape from the stomach, preventing the gas and bloating issues.
“This is a much simpler procedure,” said Lipham. “There is much less surgery involved to implant the device, making patient recovery quicker.”
The Keck School was one of only two institutions in the United States to participate in the first phase of the Linx Reflux Management System clinical trial. According to Lipham, the trial showed excellent results with an approximate 75 percent success rate.
For more information on reflux disease, please call (323) 442-6814.
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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