health & wellness

New Hope

Israeli hospital
pioneers new
IVF technique.

T

It may be beautiful on the
outside but it's what's on th
inside that counts

he IVF Unit at Jerusalem's
Shaare Zedek Medical Center in
Jerusalem is the first in the coun-
try to use a new technique to raise the
rate of successful implantation of healthy
embryos in the womb, from 25 percent
using ordinary methods to a significant
70 percent rate.
So far, 20 women being treated at
Shaare Zedek achieved healthy pregnan-
cies with the new procedure, but still
have to wait a few months to reach term
and deliver.
The new technique, recently developed
abroad but only in use in a few places in
the U.S. and Europe, is called "24sure." It
involves examining, over a period of 26
hours, all 46 chromosomes (23 pairs) in an
eight-celled embryo. It enables the lab to
check whether the embryo has the normal
number of chromosomes, with the best
chance of being implanted successfully.
Prof. Gheona Altarescu, director of
the Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis
(PGD) Laboratory, said the technique
is so successful she expects other Israeli
hospitals will follow. She added that it

will benefit not only older women who
have a smaller chance of succeeding with
In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), but also
younger women who have gone through
several miscarriages and are carriers of
chromosome changes.
The procedure is not yet included in
the national "basket of health services;"
however, IVF is and Israel's health insur-
ers are expected to adopt the procedure
in the future.
PGD utilizes an advanced technologi-
cal process to identify genetic flaws in an
embryo before it is implanted in the uter-
us. This enables couples who are known
to be carriers of specific genetic diseases
to be given a high level of certainty that
their child will not be born with that
disease. Shaare Zedek is a national leader
in this all-important partnership between
medical genetics and reproductive medi-
cine.
The American Committee for Shaare
Zedek Medical Center (ACSZ) raises
funds to support the work of Shaare
Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. To
donate, go to www.acsz.org .

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Learn To GROW

Beaumont launches program for kids
with incontinence.

I

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West Bloomfield, MI 48323

Ask about our dedicated Memory Care Unit

52

February 27 • 2014

JN

ncontinence of any kind can be an
embarrassing problem for children
and their families. To help combat
this condition, Beaumont Children's
Hospital has a new physical therapy pro-
gram for kids affected
by bladder or bowel
incontinence.
The Get Rid of
Wetness, or GROW,
program is for chil-
dren ages 5-17. It is
being offered at three
Beaumont outpatient
Dr. Kevin
facilities in Royal Oak,
Ferber
St. Clair Shores and
West Bloomfield. The
specialized program includes physical
therapists trained in pediatric inconti-
nence and is led by Kevin Feber, M.D.,
a pediatric urologist. This new program
was developed by Rehabilitation Services
and Beaumont Children's Hospital.
About 5 to 7 million children in the
U.S. are affected by pelvic floor dysfunc-
tion, which includes daytime urinary
incontinence, recurrent urinary tract
infections, constipation, bowel leakage
and bed wetting.
"We use the latest research and treat-
ments to compassionately address each

family's concerns and symptoms," Feber
explains. "There is hope. We communicate
with your child's physician to ensure com-
plete care, and we evaluate each child to
develop an individualized, age-appropriate
program to deal with bowel or bladder
dysfunction:'
The program involves patient and
family education, and noninvasive bio-
feedback treatment, which focuses on
contraction and relaxation of the child's
pelvic floor to learn control of muscles
related to incontinence.
"Our program is unique to
Southeastern Michigan:' says coordi-
nator and physical therapist Kristen
Maike, adding that it is a collaboration
between Beaumont's pediatric reha-
bilitation and pelvic floor dysfunction
programs.
The therapy requires a doctor's pre-
scription. The three facilities are open
Monday through Friday. Treatment may
be covered by health insurance.
For more information, call the loca-
tion nearest you: Beaumont Health
Center in Royal Oak, (248) 655-5700;
Beaumont Rehabilitation Services in
St. Clair Shores, (586) 447-4070; and
the Beaumont Medical Center, West
Bloomfield, (248) 855-7411.

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