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Coronary Calcium Scan
The buildup of calcium within the walls of blood vessels is an indicator of heart disease. There is technology available that not only determines the presence of calcium; it enables us to measure the amount of buildup.
Changes in the amount of calcium over time may provide clues to the effects of treatment. The coronary calcium scan is often used in conjunction with a blood vessel scan, which looks at other problems that may be occurring inside the blood vessels.
Heart Scan
Cardiac MRI and CT have the potential to significantly impact the treatment of patients with heart disease. We are able to see non-calcified plaque in the artery walls before they become narrowed. This is important, because this type of plaque-also called “unstable plaque”-can break apart and close the vessel acutely, causing a heart attack.
MRI offers the ability to look at blood flow to the heart, analyze the function of the heart muscle and the valves, and check the scars in the muscle.
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Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women and stroke is No. 3. These are two forms of cardiovascular diseases that kill nearly 500,000 women each year. That’s more deaths then all forms of cancer combined. The color red is designated for these two diseases to help bring awareness to women about the presence.
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Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease that is spread through close physical contact, most often during sexual activity. The most common herpes viruses are herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Usually, HSV-1 causes cold sores or fever blisters, and HSV-2 causes genital herpes, but both viruses can cause outbreaks in either area.
Genital herpes affects almost 60 million people or 1 in 5 Americans over the age of 12. There are up to one million new cases per year. Up to 90% of HSV-2-positive people have not been diagnosed or are unaware of their condition.
Infection occurs when the herpes virus passes through a break in your skin or through the membranes of your penis, vagina, urethra, cervix, or anus. The virus travels to nerve cells near your spine, where it stays until an event triggers a new bout. The virus then travels back to the surface of your skin, where it “sheds”, making more copies of itself. Shedding can occur with or without symptoms. Signs of genital herpes include flu-like symptoms, painful blisters, or no symptoms at all. If your do get symptoms, they usually appears 2-10 days after the herpes virus enters your body. The first outbreak of genital herpes may last as long as 3 weeks. Recurrent outbreaks are usually shorter, lasting 3-7 days.
Diagnosis of genital herpes can be made by your healthcare provider through examination of your genitals. The most accurate way is to obtain a sample from a sore to see if the virus grows in a culture. A positive result confirms the diagnosis, but a negative result does not rule it out.
There is no cure for genital herpes. However, there are oral medications that can shorten the length of an outbreak and help reduce discomfort. For those people who have frequent outbreaks, taking medication on a daily basis can greatly reduce attacks. If you have genital herpes, or are concerned about your risk, speak to your healthcare provider about appropriate testing and treatment.
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Uncontrollable leaking of urine from the bladder is a very common disorder. It occurs increasingly with age affecting up to 1 in 3 Americans age 60 or older. It is seen in at least twice as many women as men. Incontinence can be a very embarrassing disorder affecting a woman’s life style. Many women may avoid physical and/or social activities because of this problem which can fortunately be controlled.
Urinary incontinence can be divided into 4 types: stress, urge, overflow and functional. The most common type is stress incontinence which occurs with laughing, coughing, sneezing or exercise. Urge incontinence is an inability to hold urine once the urge to urinate occurs. Sometimes different types of incontinence may occur together.
Our providers can help determine which type of incontinence a patient has through a thorough history, physical exam and testing. Depending upon the results patients may be offered different management options which could include physical therapy, bladder training, medications or surgery.
If a patient qualifies for surgery a new procedure called a “transobturator sling” has recently become available. This procedure is relatively safe and can often be performed by our doctors in an outpatient/day surgery setting with minimal “down time”. If a patient requires other surgery, ie hysterectomy, it is often done concurrently with that procedure.
The most important thing is talking to your doctor or practitioner if you feel you have incontinence. There is no need to suffer with this correctible condition.
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