Arizona

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A recent Mayo Clinic study on yips, a condition that has baffled golfers and scientists for decades, will be a featured presentation ...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A new study, led by a physician from Mayo Clinic in Arizona, shows that virtual colonoscopy isn't just for younger people. The American College of Radiology Imaging Network study published in Radiology now indicates that virtual colonoscopy is comparable to standard colonoscopy for people better than 65 years old. Click here for a video of Dr. C. Daniel Johnson explaining the new study. Colonoscopy is commonly performed for early detection of colon cancer in people over 50 years old. In the standard procedure, a long, flexible tube is used to view the lining of the colon. After prepping to cleanse the colon, the patient is sedated for the procedure and then generally goes home to rest for the remainder of the day. Virtual colonoscopy, known more formally as computerized tomographic CT colonography, uses advanced imaging software to produce a three-dimensional view of the entire colon and rectum. The virtual colonoscopy procedure involves insertion of a small enema tip into the rectum, accompanied by carbon dioxide gas to inflate the colon. No sedation is required. The procedure requires the same cleansing preparation as standard colonoscopy. A Mayo Clinic study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2008 indicated that virtual colonoscopy is as good as standard colonoscopy, but the performance in medicare age patients was not specifically analyzed. Questions lingered by some about the effectiveness of virtual colonoscopies in older people because of the increased occurrence of colon polyps. In the new study, data from the 2008 research study was used to evaluate the performance of CTC in patients over age 65 compared to those age 50-65. The study found no statistical significant difference in CTC effectiveness between the two patient groups.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A new study from Mayo Clinic supports the idea that "what's good for your heart is good for your brain." The study, released today, suggests that eating too much may double the risk for memory loss in people age 70 and older. This research will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28. VIDEO ALERT: Click here for a video of Dr. Geda explaining the study. "We observed a dose-response pattern which simply means; the higher the amount of calories consumed each day, the higher the risk of mild cognitive impairment," said study author Yonas E. Geda, M.D., MSc, a neurologist and psychiatrist with Mayo Clinic in Arizona. He noted that 2,143 calories per day may double the risk of memory loss. While the relationship between cardiovascular problems and overeating are well known, the study further documents the similarities of cardiovascular risks and neurological risks such as mild cognitive impairment, Dr. Geda says. MCI is the stage between normal memory loss that comes with aging and early Alzheimer's disease. The study involved 1,233 people in Olmsted County, Minn., ages 70 to 89 and free of dementia. Of those, 163 had MCI. Participants reported the amount of calories they ate or drank in a food questionnaire and were divided into three equal groups based on their daily caloric consumption. One-third consumed 600 to 1,526 calories per day, one-third 1,526 to 2,143 calories and one-third 2,143 to 6,000 calories per day. The odds of having MCI more than doubled for people in the highest calorie-consuming group compared with people in the lowest calorie-consuming group. The results were the same after adjusting for history of stroke, diabetes, amount of education and other factors that can affect risk of memory loss. There was no significant difference in risk for the middle group.

PHOENIX — It's been said that marriage is good for your health — especially if you're a man. Research at Mayo Clinic in Arizona shows that's true when it comes to seeking care for stroke symptoms. A Mayo Clinic study, presented at the American Stroke Conference in New Orleans in early February, says that men experiencing a stroke call for emergency help quicker than women, especially if they are married. "Marriage has long been shown to offer health benefits and often more for men," said Joyce Lee-Iannotti, M.D., a neurology Fellow at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and author of the study. "The reasons are unclear, but it's been postulated that it can be societal roles, where women take on the roles of caregivers and advise their spouses to seek care, often putting their own health behind that of their children and husband." VIDEO: Dr. Lee-Iannotti explains the study. The study was a retrospective review of 209 patients with acute stroke symptoms brought by emergency medical services to Mayo Clinic in Phoenix over 15 months ending in November 2011. Researchers collected participants' age, gender, marital status, time of symptom awareness and time of emergency medical services dispatch. They compared the time from symptoms awareness to EMS dispatch between married and single participants and between men and women. Married men called within 28 minutes of symptoms compared to married women, who called an average of 67 minutes after their first stroke symptoms. Single men activated EMS earlier than single women, but the difference was not significant.

PHOENIX — Mayo Clinic in Arizona has completed more than 200 pancreas transplants since the program opened in 2003, performing the highest number of simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplants annually in Arizona. The benefit of pancreas transplantation is normalization of blood sugar levels, thereby eliminating the need for insulin. In some cases, a pancreas transplant can slow the progression of diabetic complications. Mayo Clinic's first pancreas transplant took place on July 17, 2003, and the 200th transplant took place on Nov. 23, 2011. As of Aug. 31, 2011, according to data collected by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), Mayo Clinic in Arizona had performed 152 simultaneous kidney/pancreas transplants and 41 pancreas transplants in the form of pancreas transplant alone, or pancreas-after-kidney transplant. Only two other medical centers in Arizona perform pancreas transplants, with Mayo doing the most simultaneous kidney/pancreas transplants. In 2010, Mayo Clinic in Arizona was the second largest transplant center in the U.S. performing simultaneous kidney/pancreas transplants. Mayo Clinic as a three-site organization (Arizona, Florida and Minnesota) has performed pancreas transplants for more than 20 years for patients having complex diseases such as diabetes. The first pancreas transplant (a simultaneous pancreas/kidney) was performed on Dec. 16, 1987, at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Since then, a total of 403 pancreas transplants have been completed. At Mayo Clinic in Florida, 147 pancreas transplanted have been performed since the program opened in 2000.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — This morning, Fortune magazine named Mayo Clinic to its select list of the"100 Best Companies to Work For" in 2012. This is ...

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Administrative burdens and limits on reimbursement are among the obstacles keeping hospitals from choosing to implement potentially lifesaving telemedicine programs, according to a study published in the January/February issue of Telemedicine and e-Health. The study by researchers from Mayo Clinic in Arizona, C3O Medical Group in Ojai, Calif., and UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, surveyed emergency and critical care telemedicine users to determine factors that motivate and barriers that impede development of a robotic telemedicine program. VIDEO ALERT: Click here to view comments about the study. Telemedicine provides timely medical expertise to patients who have medical emergencies but do not have ready access to specialized medical centers. For instance, in Arizona, Mayo Clinic operates a telestroke program featuring a robot that allows a stroke patient in a rural emergency department the opportunity to be seen in real time by a specialized stroke neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. The study results are not surprising, says Bart Demaerschalk, M.D., a neurologist and professor of neurology, director of the Mayo Clinic Telestroke Program and co-author of the study. He says the study revealed that the primary impediments to continued success in telemedicine are: Licensing restrictions The administrative burden of giving physicians privileges and credentials to engage in telemedicine and lining up malpractice insurance Limitations in ability for billing and reimbursement