US Digestive Health (USDH), one of the largest gastroenterology practices in the United States, celebrated the grand opening of its new Lansdale-Colmar office on February 7, 2024. The event included guided tours of the 4,800-square-foot facility, followed by a welcoming ceremony and ribbon cutting. The new office enhances USDH’s presence in the region and demonstrates its commitment to providing exceptional and accessible digestive care. USDH, with over 40 locations and more than 250 providers, operates throughout Southeastern, Central, and Southwestern Pennsylvania and Delaware. The practice is managed by US Digestive Health Management (USDHM) and was formed in 2019 by Amulet…
Author: Abhay Panchal
Healthcare leaders are turning to gastroenterology to unlock growth opportunities. Here are how three leaders are using gastroenterology to grow their facilities: Dean Lehmkuhler. Administrator at Northside Gastroenterology Endoscopy Center (Indianapolis): The growth of our ASC will be significant after two years as we are planning to build a new endoscopy center with a projected opening of Jan. 31, 2026. The new center will allow for 50 percent growth over the next five years as we are increasing the size of the center and increasing from four procedure rooms to five procedure rooms with an ability to add a sixth…
UC Davis Health’s endoscopy team has achieved a significant milestone by performing the world’s first endoscopic, ultrasound-guided core biopsy of a pancreatic tumor using a new instrument, the EndoDrill® GI. This groundbreaking procedure was performed by Antonio Mendoza-Ladd, the medical director of gastrointestinal endoscopy. The team successfully collected larger than normal tissue cores, enhancing diagnostic capabilities. The EndoDrill® GI, developed by BibbInstruments AB, allows for better access to deep tissues in the upper gastrointestinal tract, including the pancreas, stomach, esophagus, lymph nodes, and liver. This novel technology employs electric high-speed drilling to remove fine samples while maintaining tissue architecture with…
Transnasal endoscopy (TNE) is revolutionizing pediatric gastroenterology care, as demonstrated by the case of Grace, a young patient with eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE) treated at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Matthew J. Ryan, a pediatric gastroenterologist, has performed over 100 TNEs using the EvoEndo Single-Use Endoscopy System, marking a significant advancement in the field. This system, designed for patients aged five and older, eliminates the need for anesthesia or sedation, making the procedure less invasive and more accessible. The EvoEndo system’s portability allows for point-of-care diagnosis in clinics, enhancing the convenience and accessibility of endoscopic evaluations. The updated v2.0 Model LE Endoscope from…
The FRUTIGA trial, a phase 3 double-blind, placebo-controlled study, evaluated the efficacy of adding fruquintinib to paclitaxel in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal cancer who had progressed on frontline chemotherapy. The study enrolled 703 patients, predominantly Asian, and assessed progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival as primary endpoints. The results showed that patients receiving fruquintinib with paclitaxel had significantly better PFS (5.6 months vs. 2.7 months) compared to those receiving placebo with paclitaxel. However, there was no significant improvement in overall survival, with a median survival of 9.6 months in the fruquintinib group versus 8.4 months in the placebo…
A study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III revealed significant gender disparities in the risk of death associated with liver diseases. Women with concurrent metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) face an 83% higher risk of all-cause mortality compared to men. Additionally, women with ALD alone have a 160% greater risk of death. The study analyzed data from 10,007 adults and found notable differences in the prevalence of MASLD, MetALD (MASLD and ALD), and ALD between men and women. Over a median follow-up of 26.7 years, the study observed 2,496…
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved EOHILIA (budesonide oral suspension), the first and only FDA-approved oral therapy for individuals aged 11 years and older with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). EOHILIA, a corticosteroid, is indicated for a 12-week treatment period and features a novel formulation that enhances its effectiveness in treating EoE. The approval is based on two multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, which demonstrated significant improvements in both histologic remission and patient-reported Dysphagia Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ) scores. Key Insights Image Source & Credit: Business Wire
Freenome, a biotech company, has raised $254 million to enhance its multiomics platform for early cancer detection. This funding, led by Roche, will advance clinical programs for single-cancer and multi-cancer detection tests. Freenome’s approach integrates molecular biology with computational biology and machine learning for early, non-invasive cancer detection. Key Insights Image Source & Credit: PR News Wire
The study focuses on the use of Eosinophil-Derived Neurotoxin (EDN) as a biomarker for diagnosing eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Dr. Yamen Smadi and his team at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children found that EDN is a practical, simple, and inexpensive tool for EoE diagnosis, particularly useful in challenging cases. The study, awarded at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 2023 annual meeting, involved 231 children, with 140 having a history of EoE and 140 serving as controls. EDN was measured in esophageal brushing samples during endoscopy, showing strong correlation with endoscopic reference score (EREFS) and peak eosinophil count (PEC), demonstrating 84.4%…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance to Nanox’s HealthFLD artificial intelligence software. This software is designed to assist clinicians in detecting fatty liver associated with hepatic steatosis. HealthFLD aims to facilitate the early detection of liver steatosis by providing automated qualitative and quantitative assessments of liver attenuation from routine chest and abdomen CT scans for patients aged 18 to 75 years. A key feature of the HealthFLD software is its ability to analyze contrast-enhanced CT scans with high accuracy. In a retrospective study involving 2,917 patients, HealthFLD demonstrated a sensitivity of 77.8% and a specificity…