Dr. John S. TerKeurst of Mountain Home observed live robotic surgeries and studied cryotherapy for the prostate cancer patient further at the recent five-day annual meeting of the American Urological Association, held in Chicago. He joined urologists from across the nation and world to take advantage of educational opportunities supporting the AUA meeting’s theme of Applying Knowledge, Improving Lives.
Dr. TerKeurst said the two-day course about state-of-the-art robotic urologic surgery and its impact on the practice of urology was a highlight of the sessions. Two live surgeries were featured in the course and AUA members could also interact with an expert panel of surgeons.
“This was an opportunity for me to hear world-renowned speakers in a course showcasing the latest in robotic surgery,” he said. The course was designed by University of Iowa professors Howard N. Winfield, M.D, also director of laparoscopic, robotic, and minimally invasive urological surgery, and Arieh L. Shalhav, M.D., also chair of the Society of Urologic Robotic Surgery.
A course on cryosurgery for the prostate cancer patient was also of high importance to Dr. TerKeurst since he was the first urologist in the northern Arkansas area to begin using cryotherapy in 2007. Cryotherapy uses temperatures below freezing to destroy tissue. It does not involve any radiation treatment, but uses argon gas to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue. The course director was Associate Professor of Clinical Urology Aaron E. Katz, M.D., from the Department of Urology at Columbia University, New York, N.Y.
Dr. TerKeurst says the cryosurgery patient experiences fewer and less severe side effects than he would with major surgery, such as removal of the prostate. Interest among urologists in cryosurgery in this area has grown over the past decade as the role of minimally invasive therapies for localized prostate cancer has rapidly increased, the AUA stated.
A physician and surgeon in Mountain Home since 1989, Dr. TerKeurst is board certified by the American Board of Urology, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and is on the active staff of Baxter Regional Medical Center. TerKeurst Urology Clinic at 124 Hwy. 201 North in Mountain Home treats males and females of all ages, offering preventive exams and urological procedures in the office.
For more information, telephone (870) 424-3699, toll-free 888-745-3699. |
