Our Comunity
IN THE RIGHT HANDS
FSU PrimaryHealth is home to new liver scan , thanks to Mayo Clinic gift
Beau Toskich ( M . D ., 2007 )
“ It ’ s a shame people have to wait until they are referred to a major transplant center to have access to this device ,” said Beau Toskich ( M . D ., 2007 ), a professor of interventional radiology at the Mayo Clinic in Florida . “ Our goal is to put it in the hands of primary care physicians — people who can make the
most impact with an early diagnosis .”
The device Toskich is referring to is the Echosens Fibroscan , a non-invasive , precise tool to detect the earliest signs of liver disease that the Mayo Clinic donated to the Florida State University College of Medicine late last month . It will soon be put into practice at FSU PrimaryHealth .
“ It ’ s like a stethoscope for the liver ,” Toskich said . And the need for such a tool is immense .
In the United States , the National Institutes of Health estimates that 25 % of adults have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease ( NAFLD ), and up to 70 % of people with Type 2 diabetes also have NAFLD . Untreated fatty liver disease can lead to inflammation and scarring , which over the years can lead to compromised liver function , liver cancer and liver failure . Many more people suffer from cirrhosis ( permanent scarring ) and other ailments of the liver caused by viruses or alcohol abuse .
“ It ’ s like a stethoscope for the liver ”
“ Liver disease is so prevalent , and yet we weren ’ t diagnosing nearly the number of people we should , which told me there was a gap ,” Toskich said . “ Coming back to my roots at FSU , I tried to identify that gap .”
Having such state-of-the-art technology available at FSU PrimaryHealth , located in a southwest Tallahassee neighborhood considered a “ health care desert ” before the clinic opened five years ago , can translate into early diagnosis and intervention , improving quality of life for patients and their families .
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By Patrick Crowley FSU College of Medicine
Florida State University College of Medicine
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A REPORT TO OUR COMMUNITY