GI & Endoscopy

A new study shows MRI helps predict survival among patients with advanced rectal cancer, according to Journal of Clinical Oncology report.

Andreas Kaiser, MD, an associate professor of colorectal surgery at the University Southern California in Los Angeles, has been appointed editor-in-chief of Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology, according to a Dove Medical press release.

Darren Rohan, MD, a thoracic surgeon at HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley in New York, has developed a minimally invasive procedure to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to an MD News report.

William I. Wolff, MD, the co-developer of colonoscopy, has died at age 94, according to a New York Times report.

Carillon Surgery Center in St. Petersburg, Fla., has been granted full accreditation by the American College of Surgeons Bariatric Surgery Center Network Accreditation Program, according to a news release.

New micro-laparoscopic instruments for bariatric surgery cause less scarring and pain, according to a news release by Michael Feiz, MD.

Changes in diet affect the populations of viruses that live in the human gut, according to a Genome Research report.

Laparoscopic gastric band surgery, buoyed by an obesity epidemic and improved clinical outcomes, has become a viable option for ambulatory surgery centers, but payors have been slow in extending coverage to surgery centers.

Using a simulation model, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and at Oxford University forecast 65 million more obese adults in the United States by 2030, according to a Lancet report.

A mailed educational reminder asking patients to return their fecal occult blood test cards for a colorectal cancer screening is more cost-effective than other patient-directed interventions, such as telephone calls and letters from physicians, according to a BMC report.