Patients Don't Have to Take Day Off Work Patients who are
screened for cancer of the esophagus typically have to take a
day off work because the procedure requires conscious sedation
or general anesthesia. But Dr. Lee Akst of Loyola University
Hospital is examining patients with a new ultra-thin scope that
does not require sedation. A patient can see results right away,
and return to work immediately. Also, the patient doesn’t have
to be driven home by a family member. Akst, assistant professor
of otolaryngology at Loyola University Chicago's Stritch School
of Medicine, is one of the first doctors in the Chicago area to
offer the new screening procedure, called transnasal
esophagoscopy, or TNE. Candidates for TNE include patients who
have long-term acid reflux, with symptoms such as heartburn,
throat irritation, dry coughing and throat clearing. In acid
reflux patients, stomach acid backs up to the esophagus. In
response, the esophagus develops cells similar to stomach cells.
These cells are resistant to stom