The Women's Center

As a component of our comprehensive women’s health program, The Women’s Center at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center offers one of the most accurate tests available for detecting osteoporosis, the DEXA bone density scan. This new service complements the established mammography, maternity and gynecologic surgery programs already part of The Women’s Center.

Thorough bone density tests, like Summerlin Hospital’s DEXA bone density scan, measure the strength of your bones by testing how dense they are. By doing this, bone density tests can show if you have osteoporosis or may get it, detect if you are at risk of fractures and help your healthcare provider monitor your progress through treatment. Bone density tests are painless, simple and quick. And, with early detection, the effects of osteoporosis can be substantially slowed.

When undergoing a test using the DEXA, a patient simply lies on a table in their own clothes while being scanned by a mobile arm overhead. The test usually takes 10 to 20 minutes to complete. Patients are advised to dress comfortably and not to wear attire with lots of metal buttons, buckles or zippers.

Some insurance plans do pay for osteoporosis testing, including Medicare, although they may have certain requirements for coverage.

As a member of the National Osteoporosis Foundation’s Professional Partners Network, Summerlin Hospital is able to provide greater resources for people with this disease.

For more information about the DEXA bone density scan available through The Women’s Center at Summerlin Hospital, please call (702) 233-7203.

An Alternative to Traditional Gynecological Surgery

By Darin Swainston, MD

The common treatment for uterine fibroids and severe menorrhagia has been a hysterectomy, requiring invasive surgery, the use of general anesthesia and four to six weeks of recovery at home. In today’s world, however, women often find it difficult to take time away from being a mother, wife and professional for such a major surgical procedure. Surgical equipment, called the Gynecare Advanced System, allows physicians at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center to treat these conditions through a less invasive procedure called hysteroscopic ablation, instead of requiring a hysterectomy.

The use of hysteroscopic ablation to treat these conditions has only recently been embraced by gynecologists with the advent of the new surgical equipment. The Gynecare Advanced System has contributed safety measures to the procedure through enhanced monitoring capabilities and bipolar technology. Due to the system’s use of bipolar technology, women undergoing hysteroscopic ablation are no longer at great risk of hyponatremia, a condition where sodium levels in the blood are decreased.

One-quarter to one-third of women who are of reproductive age suffer from uterine fibroids, benign tumors of muscular or fibrous tissue that form on the wall of the uterus. Current treatments for this condition include a combination of long-term drug therapy and invasive surgery, requiring a lengthy recovery and sometimes causing infertility. With the Gynecare equipment, women who have uterine fibroids, polyps or adhesions can be treated while the endometrial lining of the uterus is left intact — preserving fertility in the majority of cases. The physician uses an electrode inserted into the uterus through a hysteroscope. Once the electrode is in contact with the fibrous tissue, the physician activates the system, instantly vaporizing the tissue. The patient can return home the day of surgery and expect one to four days of recovery.

Physicians using the Gynecare technology can also stop unwanted bleeding from menorrhagia through hysteroscopic ablation. In this procedure, the endometrial lining of the uterus, the primary source of the menstrual bleeding, is removed. In many cases, this procedure, done on an outpatient basis, is an alternative to more intensive surgical procedures, like a hysterectomy. In fact, more than 30% of hysterectomies performed in the United States each year are reportedly done to stop menorrhagia.

With procedures done using the Gynecare system, there are definite benefits to be considered. There are significantly fewer associated surgical risks involved with the procedures than with traditional more invasive alternatives. The patient’s post-surgery discomfort and recovery time are also decreased. For many women who have very active and busy lifestyles, the recovery time associated with traditional procedures would be a hardship, considering the demands of their lives, which makes using the Gynecare equipment procedures very attractive.

Darin Swainston, MD, is a gynecologist with OB/GYN Associates in Las Vegas. Physicians are independent contractors who are not agents or employees of Summerlin Hospital Medical Center.

Osteoporosis Facts

Osteoporosis is a disease that increases bone loss, making bones fragile and more susceptible to fractures or breaks. After the age of 25, when maximum bone density and strength is reached, the body’s rate of replacing new bone slows in comparison to its rate of removing old bone.

According to recent studies, 28 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis. Although it strikes both men and women, women are four times more likely than men to develop the disease. Post-menopausal women are at a great degree of risk for osteoporosis, as one out of every two women over the age of 60 is believed to suffer from osteoporosis.

With osteoporosis, individuals can experience loss of height or a hump on their back, chronic pain, loss of movement caused by fractures and a higher risk of hip fractures which can even have fatal complications.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, several risk factors can increase the chances of developing osteoporosis:

• Small-boned frame, body weight less than 127 pounds
• Personal history of a fracture as an adult
• Broken bones or stooped posture in family members
• Early estrogen deficiency in women who experience menopause before age 45
• Estrogen deficiency as the result of amenorrhea (the abnormal absence of menstruation)
• Advanced age
• Diet low in calcium
• Inactive lifestyle with little or no exercise
• Cigarette smoking
• Excessive use of alcohol
• Prolonged use of certain medications including those in the anti-inflammatory group of glucocorticoids, excessive thyroid hormone and some anti-seizure medications

The good news is that today, doctors know more about the causes of osteoporosis than ever before, and new methods of treatment, combined with early detection, can substantially slow the effects of osteoporosis.

For more information, visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation website.