Uptown Campus Adds High-Def Equipment to Diagnose Colon Cancer, GERD, and Hiatal Hernias
NEW ORLEANS - The uptown New Orleans campus of Ochsner Baptist is continuing its commitment to expand medical services for the community. In addition to celebrating the recent grand opening of its Imaging Center, the campus now has two Endoscopy suites, which are equipped with state-of-the-art Olympus high-definition gastroscopes, which may help enhance patient diagnoses of diseases.
"As baby boomers age, the demand for endoscopy procedures is expected to increase, and Ochsner Baptist is ready with the most advanced equipment," says Chesley Hines, M.D., Ochsner Baptist Medical Center Gastroenterologist. "While not many people look forward to a getting a scope, the number of procedures locally has risen steadily in recent years due to increased awareness of colon cancer."
"The clarity of the images we are able to gain using the high-definition Olympus gastroscope is incredible," explains Dr. Hines. "Even the smallest details can be detected immediately, which has the potential to enhance diagnostic capability." Dr. Chesley Hines joined Ochsner Baptist on November 1, 2007.
Endoscopy is a minimally-invasive tool that is used to diagnose a variety of gastrointestinal disorders affecting the esophagus and stomach, such as GERD, stomach ulcers, or hiatal hernias. However, it's most commonly used for colonoscopies. Doctors recommend a colonoscopy at age 50 as an early screening tool for colon cancer and earlier for those with a family history. Colonoscopies typically take about half an hour, longer if doctors need to take a biopsy or remove polyps. Because these procedures are minimally-invasive, they are done on an outpatient basis.
The Ochsner Baptist Endoscopy suites are located at the Napoleon Avenue campus on the 3rd floor of the 2626 building. Since opening November 2007, "physicians have treated over 100 patients in the suites and we expect the number to continue to grow," says Robert Wolterman, Ochsner Baptist Vice President of Operations.
At Ochsner Baptist, the suites will be used for both in-patient and outpatient procedures.
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