2007–2008 Annual Report

takes IMRT a step further with image-guided radiation
therapy (IGRT).
da Vinci® Surgical System
Southeast is the third hospital in Missouri and the first
community hospital in the state to offer robotic-assisted
surgery using the da Vinci® Surgical System. Using da Vinci,
physician specialists from Cape Girardeau Urology Associates
can surgically remove the prostate gland with a magnified,
three-dimensional view of the prostate more detailed
than is possible with the human eye alone. More than 100
robotic-assisted prostatectomies are performed annually at
Southeast.
Monaco® IMRT Workstation
Southeast’s Radiation Therapy Department continues
to offer state of the art radiation therapy treatment planning
technology, and has upgraded its equipment to include the
highly sophisticated Monaco IMRT Workstation. Monaco is
an intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment
planning program that utilizes the latest Monte Carlo dose
calculation model. This new system enables physicians to
better optimize radiation dose distributions, with a shorter
treatment time for the patient and the most accurate dose
delivery currently available.
MammoSite®
Southeast is the first hospital in the region to add
MammoSite high-dose radiation therapy to its arsenal of
treatment options for breast cancer. This form of partial breast
irradiation is used to treat early Stage I or Stage II tumors.
MammoSite also can reduce the total number of treatments
from a standard 30 treatments over six weeks to just 10
treatments over the course of five days.
Gynecologic Brachytherapy
Southeast also is the only cancer center in the region
to offer an HDR brachytherapy option for some forms of
gynecological cancer. Now, rather than undergoing lowdose
brachytherapy, which can involve an overnight stay in
the hospital and confine the patient to bed for several days,
a woman can receive high-dose-rate brachytherapy on an
outpatient basis. In most cases a course of treatment consists
of three to four treatments that usually can be delivered in
less than 10 minutes. With this procedure patients have less
discomfort and are better able to tolerate treatment. Breast
MRI, available at Southeast since August 2007, features
9
Southeast Missouri Hospital Annual Report 2007–2008
cutting-edge technology that, for each breast MRI exam,
can produce over 1,000 images with contrast between soft
tissues in the breast many times greater than that obtained
with standard mammography. The ability to perform MRIguided
biopsies is essential to detecting cancers. Breast MRI,
in addition to mammography, is recommended for high-risk
women – those with a 20 to 25 percent or higher chance of
developing breast cancer over the course of a lifetime.
NESS H200TM & NESS L300TM For many stroke patients, two technologies brought
to not only the region but the state by Southeast are
helping these patients regain mobility and recapture
their independence. The NESS H200 for hands and the
NESS L300 for legs use functional electronic stimulation
to activate muscles that have been affected by stroke or
injury. These exciting new technologies are used both in
Southeast’s acute rehab program and outpatient rehab.
Both technologies also may be used in the home setting
as well.
X-Stop® & Prestige® Cervical Disc
For patients with spinal stenosis, the X-Stop implant
has been successful for many patients. Traditional surgery
for this condition involves removal of bone and soft tissue.
Now, neurosurgeons at the Brain and NeuroSpine Clinic of
Missouri, at Southeast’s Regional Brain and Spine Center, can
insert the X-Stop,
smaller than a
quarter, through a
small incision in the
back. The procedure
is less invasive and
promises a faster
recovery time.
Neurosurgeons
at the Brain and
NeuroSpine Clinic of
The Prestige Cervical Disc
Missouri also have
the expertise to implant the new Prestige Cervical Disc,
approved by the Food and Drug Administration in July 2007
as the first artificial disc for the treatment of degenerative
disc disease and herniated disc. Because of its unique ball
and trough design, the disc allows a patient to maintain
neck flexibility.