A bone age (BA)
xray tells us the physical maturity of the patient, which may be
independant of the actual (chronological) age of the patient. The BA
may be older than the age of the person if there is advanced puberty.
The BA may or not be younger than the patient's age if there are
certain causes of short stature. The bone maturation may help to
determine the final adult height. We are able to perform this test in
the office without you having to go to the
hospital.
Growth hormone
testing
You or a family
member may be requested to perform a provocative growth hormone
stimulation test to determine if there is a pituitary problem including
growth hormone deficiency. We will then call you to set up a day that
is convenient for you. A Stimulation test waiver form must be signed
before test is performed. Here is what's involved: 1. Please
have nothing to eat or drink (including your usual medicines) after
midnight the night before the testing. 2. Come into the office
fasting at your appointment time. 3. Bring books or a VHS
movie to watch during the testing (It's boring!) 4. You will
have an intravenous line started; this may hurt for about 5
seconds. 5. Usually, all medicine will be given into this line
and all blood tests will be drawn out of the same line; therefore,
there are not any other blood sticks during the visit. 6. You
will be monitored for blood pressure, heart rate, respirations and
glucose levels throuthout the study. 7. Depending on the type
of test you had done, you will be able to go home, school or work after
the testing which may take up to 3 hours. This used to be a 2 day
hospitalization! 8. We will contact you personally when the
results return, usually in about 10-14
days.
Fine Needle Aspiraton Biopsy of the
Thyroid
The thyroid is a
gland located in the neck. It is a part of the endocrine (hormone)
system, and plays a major role in regulating the body's metabolism. If
a sample of cells is needed from the thyroid gland a fine needle biopsy
can be performed. During this procedure, a skinny needle is inserted
into the thyroid gland, and a sample of thyroid cells and fluid is
drawn into the needle. The needle is then withdrawn and the cells are
sent for examination. This test is usually performed in the office
under ultrsound guidance by one of our physicians certified
specifically in fine needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid. This will
allow us to diagnose thyroid disease or thyroid cancer; the results
usually take about 10 days to return. We will call you personally with
the
results.
Research
We are actively
involved in more than 14 clinical research trials which are approved by
the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). The purpose of these trials is
to understand endocrine disorders better and to find new, innovative
and safe therapies to help our patients feel better and prevent
complications associated with their endocrine disorder.
Example of current trials include: 1. inhaled
insulin studies (instead of having to inject insulin)! 2. more
effective medication to lower cholesterol and raise the HDL (heavenly
or good) cholesterol. 3. 5 new medications for the treatment
of diabetes. 4. therapies to prevent the onset of
diabetes. 5. new treatments for short
stature. 5.other areas of research we are exploring include:
osteoporosis, thyroid cancer, treating peripheral nerve damage in
diabetes, implantable insulin pumps and noninvasive glucose
sensors.
We have 3 full time research coordinators.
We are available 24 hours a day! We have over 24 years experience
performing phase 2 and 3 clinical research. We are available
by phone at 901-763-3636 or on the web:
www.researchTEC@yahoo.com
DEXA Bone
Density
We specialize in
evaluating people for potential disorders in bone mineralization
disorders by performing bone density studies (DEXA). We perform all
precertification for other doctor offices and can set up the
appointment. The scan takes about 15 minutes and is pain free. It may
reveal oteoporosis 5 years before it shows up on a regular
xray.
NCV
We perform
evaluation of your nerve function including studies for peripheral
neuropathy (potential nerve damage) and potential carpal tunnel
syndrome.
