Interventional Oncology

Percutaneous gastrostomy. Ken U. Ekechukwu, MD, MPH, FACP.

Leave a reply
What is percutaneous gastrostomy? Per is Latin for through. Cutaneous comes from cutis, Latin for skin. Gastro derives from gaster, Greek for stomach. Stomy is from stomatos, Greek for mouth. Thus, ‘percutaneous gastrostomy’ means making a hole (or opening/mouth) in the stomach through the skin. It is the deliberate construction of a track from the skin […]

Read more

Central venous access. Ken U. Ekechukwu, MD, MPH, FACP.

Leave a reply
What is a central venous access? A central venous access (a.k.a. a central line  or a central venous catheter) is a catheter placed into a patient and its tip advanced into a central vein. The right atrium, the superior and inferior vena cava, the subclavian veins, the brachiocephalic veins and the iliac veins are considered […]

Read more

Decompressing and stenting obstructed biliary ducts. Ken U. Ekechukwu, MD, MPH, FACP.

Leave a reply
What is biliary decompression and stenting? The word biliary derives from the small tubes or canals in the liver called bile ducts that drain bile which the liver makes into the gallbladder and the intestine. These tubes branch out like a tree, with their main stem or trunk running out the liver through the head of the […]

Read more