Lithotripsy Services
Otsego Memorial Hospital (OMH) is pleased to announce its a new partnership with Great Lakes Mobile Lithotripsy Network, operated by United Medical Services, Inc., (UMS) of Westborough, Massachusetts, to bring its transportable kidney stone lithotripsy service on a rotating basis to serve patients in the community.
The UMS equipment will be at Otsego Memorial Hospital every three weeks on Thursdays. The lithotripsy equipment will be operated by local urologist, Keith Miyamoto, MD. This state-of-the-art equipment and service adds to the already long list of advanced medical technologies and services offered by Otsego Memorial Hospital.
“I’m very excited that we can offer extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy at Otsego Memorial Hospital. Now that it can be done in Gaylord, local patients will not have to travel to other healthcare facilities for this type of treatment.” said Dr. Miyamoto. “I want to thank the many members at OMH for their help in making this program happen.” The first cases to utilize the lithotripsy service were seen on June 9, 2011.
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) uses shock waves to break kidney stones into small pieces that can more easily travel through the urinary tract and pass from the body. The patient will lie on a water-filled cushion while the specialist, under supervision by Dr. Miyamoto, uses ultrasound or x-ray technology to locate the stones. High energy sound waves are then sent through the body toward the site of the stone, breaking it into smaller, easier to pass pieces. The process usually lasts about an hour with the patient returning home the same day. This revolutionary technology is used for patients with kidney stones that are causing pain or blocking the flow of urine.
The UMS lithotripsy system integrates therapy and imaging, provides real time ultrasound, high frequency x-ray with CCD camera, plus standard and boost fluoroscopy and digital spot imaging, to provide the best care possible for patients. To ensure the highest level of treatment satisfaction and care, a factory-trained engineer accompanies the unit each time it arrives to calibrate the equipment the night before its use. Otsego Memorial Hospital will be hosting the portable unit in the Surgical Services Department.
Lithotripsy services will be coordinated through Dr. Miyamoto’s office. For more information about this great service, or any others Otsego Memorial Hospital has to offer, visit them online at MyOMH.org, on Facebook at Facebook.com/MyOMH, or by calling (989) 731-OMH1.
Romie Albu, lithotripsy specialist, Susan Richards, a member of Otsego Memorial Hospital’s surgical services staff, and Doctor Keith Miyamoto are pictured with the lithotripsy unit before they see their first case of the day.