Health Care Advances in Northwest Arkansas

Several Northwest Arkansas area hospitals recently have announced the addition of advanced and less invasive surgical techniques.

Surgeons at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rogers have been using Advanced Breast Biopsy Instrumentation since August to do breast biopsies. X-rays are used to pinpoint precisely the area to be tested. The surgeon then uses the ABBI device, a narrow, tube-like instrument called a cannula, to obtain a specimen.

The procedure requires only a local anesthetic and a small incision that’s closed with a few stitches. Billy Darr, the hospital’s diagnostic imaging director, says the recovery time is significantly shortened, with many patients returning almost immediately to their usual routines. In addition, the surgery costs one-half to one-third than traditional surgical techniques, Darr says.

Northwest Medical Center in Springdale and Bates Medical Center in Bentonville have also introduced a procedure officials believe is unique to their hospitals in Northwest Arkansas. It’s a videoscopic surgical procedure to help sufferers of chronic heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease.

GERD, as it’s called, is caused when the lower esophageal sphincter, which acts as a valve between the esophagus and the stomach, doesn’t work properly and allows food and acid into the esophagus. The surgical technique traditionally used for correcting the problem required open surgery and a long incision with a recovery time of several weeks.

The new videoscopic procedure requires a series of tiny incisions but recovery time is significantly reduced.

—Patricia May