HOUSTON (July 23, 2008) — Featuring a state-of-the-art endoscopy suite, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic’s new outpatient surgery center brings advanced technology for digestive-tract cancer screening and endoscopic procedures for patients in Spring.
The new Surgery Center enhances Kelsey-Seybold Clinic’s Spring campus, which is also home to a medical and diagnostic center, and the Kelsey-Seybold Cancer Center. The Surgery Center’s specialists provide consultations, cancer screenings and endoscopic procedures. Endoscopy enables physicians to view internal areas, like the digestive tract, using a flexible tube with a light and camera at its end
“We are emphasizing the importance of colorectal cancer screening to our patients who are turning 50 as well as those at risk because of family history or chronic colitis,” said Dr. John Hughes, F.A.C.P., F.A.C.G., the chief of gastroenterology at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic. “Colorectal cancer is treatable and beatable if detected early. Improving access to cancer screenings is part of the battle against cancer. That’s why we’re bringing these services closer to home for our patients.”
The new surgery center is an important adjunct to the Kelsey-Seybold Cancer Center at Spring. The Clinic’s Cancer Center was the nation’s first freestanding cancer treatment program to receive the prestigious American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer commended accreditation.
“Our new endoscopy suite is a great addition that will allow us to do screening colonoscopies and other gastrointestinal endoscopies in north Houston where the demand for advanced procedures is growing at a rapid pace,” said Dr. Muhammed Nathani, medical director of the new surgery center. “This will provide great service to patients who are not able to drive to the Main Campus.”
The endoscopy suite is equipped to diagnose cancer and remove precancerous lesions, polyps and other conditions that affect the gastrointestinal tract.
Technological features include narrow-band imaging, which uses varying bandwidths of light to detect tiny irregularities in gastrointestinal tissue and to help determine whether a biopsy is necessary. Narrow-band imaging helps target the areas to biopsy to detect early cancers and pre-malignant lesions.
“More and more, patients seek high quality, convenient care close to home,” said Dr. Spencer Berthelsen, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic’s managing director and chairman of the board of directors. “This spacious new center is part of our commitment to meet the ever-growing need for cancer prevention services and to provide outstanding care to our patients.”
Further enhancing cancer diagnosis and patient care, Kelsey-Seybold’s Spring Medical and Diagnostic Center includes a nationally accredited nuclear medicine department, which is a key specialty in evaluating organ function and detecting disease, including cancer. This diagnostic technology detects cancer by capturing images of tissue at the cellular level. Using SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography) instrumentation, physicians can then better characterize tissues. After voluntarily submitting to a rigorous application process, including on-site evaluations of staff, diagnostic equipment, and patient care procedures, the department received accreditation from the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories. Kelsey-Seybold’s nuclear medicine cardiac program is accredited in two categories: myocardial perfusion imaging, which is used in cardiac stress tests, and equilibrium radionuclide angiograms, which estimate the blood volume pumped out of the heart.
The new 24,850-square-foot surgery center is located on the third floor of the Spring Medical and Diagnostic Center at 15655 Cypress Woods Medical Drive, just off FM 1960 a few blocks southwest of Kuykendahl. The campus includes offices for physicians practicing 24 different specialties, as well as onsite pharmacy, laboratory and diagnostic services. The new facility was designed with patients’ and family members’ comfort in mind, with spacious waiting areas, generous natural lighting and modern décor.
For information or to schedule an appointment, please call 713.442.0000.
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About Kelsey-Seybold Clinic
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is Houston’s premier community-based physician group, founded in 1949 by Dr. Mavis Kelsey in Houston’s famous Texas Medical Center. Kelsey-Seybold offers the services of more than 300 physicians in over 40 medical specialties. The Clinic’s 18 Houston-area locations offer convenience to patients close to home and work. Kelsey-Seybold has proudly served the National Aeronautics and Space Administration since 1966 and today provides medical services on-site at the Johnson Space Center, the White Sands Test Facility and in Moscow. Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is part of the St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System.
