A piece of medical equipment purchased with money raised at the Festival of Trees is being put to good use, according to the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation.
The SpyGlass DS System allows surgeons to get an eye-witness view of pancreatic and bile ducts, is used to evaluate suspected benign and malignant conditions and for the treatment of difficult stones and strictures.
The unit is less invasive, does not require sedation and enables high-resolution imaging to target biopsies and remove gall stones and foreign bodies such as migrated stents.
“We are already seeing some incredible results,” said Dr. Gilbert Wankling. “Especially on cases where it has been hard to see or deal with in the past.”
Patient Trudy Comadina is a believer. A portion of a gallstone that had lodged itself in her liver many years ago and was visible through equipment used in the past was blasted away. After many years of pain, Comadina said she felt instant relief,
The system is the third of its kind in the province, the other two located at St. Pauls and Vancouver General hospitals in the Lower Mainland.
