Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - University of Virginia - (Page 6)

By Holly Ford A designated UVA clinic brings women convenience and expert care for this common condition heads the Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging. “The biggest advantage of having this multidisciplinary team,” Matsumoto says, “is that we work together to educate patients on all of the varied treatment options so that they may make an informed decision about which option is best for their personal situation.” Because the center focuses on one condition, convenience is also a perk. Consultations with gynecology and radiology experts can be arranged as needed during a single visit. Radiology and gynecology physicians “now interact face-to-face in real time with patients to formulate the best plan for treatment as a team,” Redick says. “We do in one visit what before might have taken three.” A recent article in MedlinePlus, a magazine of the National Institutes of Health, described the prevalence of uterine fibroids as a “hidden epidemic.” Though not life-threatening, fibroids affect the quality of life for as many as two out of three women in the U.S., notes University of Virginia Health System gynecologist Dana Redick, M.D. This number actually may be higher, as symptoms for these benign growths that develop in the muscular wall of the uterus are often misinterpreted or nonexistent. lOOk tO UVa Andrea Crews, a small-business owner in Orange, Va., dismissed the heavy and prolonged menstrual bleeding, painful cramping, lightheadedness and constipation she experienced as signs of aging, not a medical condition. “I had these various symptoms for a couple of years and thought, that’s just what happens when you get older,” Crews says. “But then I felt a mass in my abdomen and knew that wasn’t normal.” A diagnosis and referral by her family practitioner led Crews to Redick and, ultimately, the best treatment for her. Before you decide, it’s important It’s now easier for women to seek the expertise of a like her to find the expertise gynecologist and a radiologist they need. The newly created at the UVA Uterine Fibroid UVA Uterine Fibroid Treatment Treatment Center. Learn more Center brings together intervenat uvahealth.com (search for tional radiology and gynecology “fibroids”) or call 888-882-9892 experts. It’s led by Redick and to make an appointment. Alan Matsumoto, M.D., who PinPOint the best treatment Although only 10 to 20 percent of women diagnosed with fibroids will require treatment, Redick says, there are many options for those who need it. Considerations include the size, number and location of the fibroids, as well as the woman’s age, health and desire to have children. Crews, 48, made her decision only after lots of research and a consultation visit with Redick. “Based on my age and the size of the fibroids, I decided a hysterectomy was the way to go,” she says. Redick performed her hysterectomy using the da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System. Redick is one of a half-dozen highly skilled UVA surgeons trained in this advanced technology. Its benefits—including decreased blood loss and reduced recovery time—made it an obvious choice for Crews. This proved to be the right choice for her. 6 Online What’s the Best Treatment? Vim & Vigor • SUM M ER 2 012 http://www.uvahealth.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - University of Virginia

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - University of Virginia
Contents
Life in Balance
Healthy Dose
Vein Attraction
A Clear Focus on Fibroids
Compassionate Care
The Breakfast Club
Arthritis Answers
A TV Guide to Radiology
Take Aim
It Might NOT Be Cancer
Colin Firth
Step Up to the Plate
Life After Cancer
Get Dad to the Doc
Virtual Health
In Her Element
A Virginia Man Climbs Above Heart Attack and Heart Failure
Too Young for a Stroke? Think Again

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - University of Virginia