Las Vegas Surgery - Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center

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Desert Springs Hospital has special expertise in finding innovative ways to use minimally invasive surgical techniques. Whether it is for the treatment of digestive disorders or pain management, the surgical team has a wealth of experience in using advanced technology and techniques to make surgery and recovery easier on patients.

In addition to minimally invasive surgery, Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center offers surgical expertise in numerous areas. For more information, please call 733-8800.

Hospital is first in Las Vegas to utilize "STEALTH" technology

3-D Computerized Patient Models Assist Surgeons at Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center

Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center has made a technological leap forward with the purchase and use of a sophisticated image-guided surgery system for use in brain and spinal surgeries.

The StealthStation(tm) Treatment Guidance Platform utilizes imaging data from CT or MRI scanning devices to build a 3-D image model of a patient's head or spine. This model is then electronically match to the patient's anatomy during surgery, which then allows the surgeon to virtually see through tissue and accurately determine the most precise location of surgical instruments with respect to critical body parts. The StealthStation assists the surgeon in performing faster, safer, more cost-effective and less invasive surgery.

The procedure works in the following way. When the surgeon's instrument touches the patient, an optical scanner mounted above the operating table locates the instrument and establishes a 3-D location. The StealthStation registers, or matches, the location to the patient's pre-operative CT or MRI data. Powerful graphic and computing abilities indicate the instrument's location on a high-resolution monitor watched by the surgeon. Lines depicting the instrument's position are displayed over the patient's 3-D model. The surgeon then follows his actions in real-time throughout the procedure.

This technology is commonly referred to as computer-assisted or image-guided surgery.

The StealthStation Treatment Guidance Platform is the latest evolution in computer-assisted surgery from Sofamor Danek Group, Inc.

Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center Offers Breakthrough Procedure for Treating Tremors

Successful implant of the Activa System is state's first procedure

The first new treatment approach in 30 years for disabling tremor due to Essential Tremor and tremor associated with Parkinson's Disease was successfully performed Jan. 30, 1999 at Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center. Recently cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Activa Tremor Control Therapy uses an implanted pacemaker-like device to deliver mild electrical stimulation to block the brain signals that cause tremor.

Tremor — the disabling, involuntary rhythmic shaking of the limbs or other parts of the body — is the only symptom of Essential Tremor and one of the four major symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. Essential Tremor is the most common neurological movement disorder in the country, afflicting more than a million Americans, usually age 45 or older. Parkinson's disease is a progressive and degenerative disease that effects more than 500,000 people in the U.S. Tremor worsens from mild to disabling at a variable rate, depending on the individual. The disease has recently received media attention due to the affliction of notables such as Janet Reno, Pope John Paul II, Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Benjamin Venger, MD, CHTD. Dr. Venger, a member of the Diplomate American Board of Neurological Surgery, has Las Vegas offices at 3006 N. Maryland Pkwy., Suite 265 and 3150 N, Tenaya Way, Suite 270.

"Desert Springs Hospital is extremely excited to be able to offer the benefits of the Activa Tremor Control
Therapy to patients here in Las Vegas," John Hummer, Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center CEO, said. "Tremor is a condition that severely impacts a patient's quality of life, as well as their ability to function. Many sufferers mistakenly continue to live with tremor because they assume it's a part of the normal aging process or that nothing can be done. We hope this procedure will be a catalyst for patients to seek Dr. Venger and find out if this therapy is right for them."

The Activa Tremor Control System, developed by Medtronic, Inc., includes an insulated wire lead that is surgically implanted deep within the brain's communication center, the thalamus. The lead is connected by an extension wire passed under the skin to an implanted pulse generator, similar to an advanced cardiac pacemaker, which is implanted near the collarbone. Patients control the stimulation by passing a hand-held magnet over the generator, turning it on or off.

The Activa System is a safe and adaptable therapy for a large percentage of patients whose drug therapy has been ineffective.

Desert Springs Hospital First for Pain Management Procedure

Neurosurgeon Benjamin Venger, MD, recently completed Nevada's first implant of the Medtronic Synergy® System at Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center. The Synergy® System is the only totally implantable device designed to eliminate a patient's chronic pain.

The system includes a pulse generator, which resembles a pacemaker, which is placed under the skin in the lower abdomen and is connected to two medical wires leading into the spine. The system delivers mild electrical impulses to the spinal cord that block pain messages from reaching the brain. The patient is able to program the level of electric stimulation, within set limits, and can also turn the system on and off using a hand-held programmer.

This technology also allows for customized pain therapy, the elimination of the side effects often associated with pain medications and does not interfere with a patient's daily activities.