Family & Life Magazine Issue 11 | Page 20

HEALTH A Surgically Assisted Life By Farhan Shah The medical Water Colonoscopy technological First presented to the international community during a advancements we’ve endoscopic about four years ago, water conference made in the past few colonoscopy is simply a colonoscopy years are nothing short using water instead of air to inflate the of amazing. Now, we are small intestine. able to live longer and During a traditional colonoscopy, the fuller lives unaffected by doctor inflates the collapsed colon with the troubles of ageing. air so that he or she can easily insert We explore three new an endoscope – a flexible imaging surgical procedures device – and inspect for any physical irregularities that indicate a developing that you might want to medical condition such as colon cancer consider when the time or inflammatory bowel disease. calls for it. The problem with traditional colonoscopies is that the patient usually has to be sedated during the process and that he or she might feel discomfort and bloating after the colonoscopy is done. In fact, 20 to 40 percent of patients in Singapore report minor abdominal discomfort. Water colonoscopy was apparently first used in a hospital that had inadequate funding for sedation and therefore, had to think up of a technique to improve the comfort of un-sedated patients during the procedure. Necessity is the mother of invention and a smart endoscopist came up with the idea of using water to make things easier. It worked. In Singapore, Dr Jarrod Lee of Gastroenterology & Live Clinic is one of the few doctors to practise wat er colonoscopy. He reveals that it’s his default technique mainly because it’s more comfortable for both sedated and awake patients and is more effective at picking up growths due to “the additional cleansing effect”. Water colonoscopy is still a relatively new surgical procedure in Singapore and is not taught in medical training programmes but Dr Lee is working hard to rectify that, teaching the technique to young trainees in endoscopy. Ultherapy Previously, plastic surgery was laced with stigma and negative social connotations but over the years, it has slowly become an acceptable component of the fabric of society. The problem with plastic surgery was the long downtime and the potential health risks associated with a botched procedure. Ultherapy, a new lifting procedure that doesn’t involve any cutting or incisions, aims to revolutionise the medical aesthetics business. It’s an FDA-cleared, non-invasive treatment to lift the skin above the eyebrow, on the neck and under the chin a la face lifts without the mess. It does this by using focused ultrasound to stimulate the growth of new collagen deep within the skin and is the only procedure that can actually see within the layers of skin tissue to ensure that the energy reaches precisely at the area where it will be most effective. People who go through ultherapy are able to pop in during lunch time, get ultrasound waves to their face and head back to the office – that’s how quick and effective it is. There is no after-care requirement and patients can see the results within three months, if not shorter. The results, unfortunately, are not permanent and usually last from six months to a year. The procedure is also relatively painless and costs between S$1,600 to S$5,000 depending on the treatment area. MAKOPlasty r ago, MAKOPlasty is an alternative Introduced to Singapore about a yea that is more precise and accurate. treatment to total knee transplants These factors mean that the surgical roved outcomes of most patients are imp lifestyle and they can return to a normal ergoes much faster than someone who und ts. conventional total joint replacemen trolled The treatment uses a surgeon-con exact robotic arm that can calculate the down to the incision that it needs to make right d to the arm millimetre. Then, the burr attache n of the machine does the work. “The precisio have done is better than a surgeon who might says Dr Siow Hua Ming, Medical the operation thousands of times,” s. Director for Providence Orthopaedic procedures that affect the whole Also, unlike other knee restoration targets the parts of the knee knee, the MAKOPlasty procedure only uring that healthy bone stock is that is affected by osteoarthritis, ens there is less blood loss and pain preserved. “The procedure is quick, ’ll recover and be able to get back during and after the surgery, and you e transplant. You’ll also be able to on your feet faster than a total kne ion,” says Dr Siow. maintain your leg’s full range of mot cedure is only available at Mount At the moment, the MAKOPlasty pro d news is that all health insurers Elizabeth Novena Hospital. The goo cover the treatment. 20 Family & Life • Aug 2014