<H3 class=subhead>Patient Flies Back Home the Same Day His Problem Is Diagnosed and Treated with New Endoscopic Outpatient Procedure</H3>
<DIV class=photobox2><IMG title="Texas Man Who Came to Stony Brook for Minimally Invasive Salivary Gland Treatment" alt="Texas Man Who Came to Stony Brook for Minimally Invasive Salivary Gland Treatmen" src="/sdmpubfiles/abrahamblass-cropped.jpg" width=220 height=249><BR>
<DIV class=caption>Abraham Blass looked for a solution to his<BR>problem and found it at Stony Brook.</DIV></DIV>
<P>STONY BROOK, NY, May 1, 2012 — Abraham Blass, 59, of Houston, TX, was having trouble swallowing. It was painful and getting worse. He also experienced recurrent swelling underneath his jaw, especially after eating. Doctors there were unable to make any diagnosis, not even with a CT scan, and Blass was unable to get the treatment he needed. He had to look elsewhere for better care.</P>
<P>The man's quest brought him to Stony Brook — some 1,700 miles from home — for <A href="/surgery/patient-care/clinical/ent-surgery/services/salivary-endoscopy" target=_blank>salivary endoscopy</A>, the new minimally invasive salivary gland procedure that can be used for both diagnosis and treatment, and that's performed by only a few surgeons in the United States.</P>
<P>Blass had read online about Stony Brook's head and neck surgeon <A href="/surgery/people/faculty/dr-mark-f-marzouk">Mark F. Marzouk, MD</A>, who leads our program in salivary endoscopy. Specially trained in the procedure and with several years of experience, Dr. Marzouk is attracting patients from around the world who come to Stony Brook for this care. </P>
<P>Blass was treated in early April. During the procedure, Dr. Marzouk was able to make the diagnosis of salivary duct narrowing and also treat the problem at the same time. His narrowing was cured by the doctor using a balloon about one-eighth of an inch in size to dilate (widen) the duct. The procedure was done under local anesthesia with mild sedation and no incisions in the neck.</P>
<DIV class=callout>
<P><STRONG>"I am doing well so far. No swallowing difficulties and the small <BR>nodule under my neck continues to shrink."</STRONG></P></DIV>
<P>Blass tolerated the procedure well. In fact, he was able to fly back home to Texas the same day. This made the experience for him all the more positive.</P>
<P>"Mr. Blass's story is not uncommon," explains Dr. Marzouk. "As salivary endoscopy has evolved, many challenging cases have been encountered in which a diagnosis cannot be made with physical exam and imaging modalities."</P>
<P>Commenting on the care he received at Stony Brook, Blass says, "I highly recommend the sialendoscopy procedure. It was done under local anesthesia and less painful than going to the dentist for a tooth filling. Dr. Marzouk and his entire team were friendly, caring, and knowledgeable throughout the entire process." </P>
<DIV class=alignleft><A href="/surgery/people/faculty/dr-mark-f-marzouk"><IMG title="Mark F. Marzouk, MD | Long Island Head and Neck Surgeon" alt="Mark F. Marzouk, MD | Long Island Head and Neck Surgeon" src="/sdmpubfiles/MarzoukMark-125.jpg" width=125 height=188></A> <BR>
<DIV class=caption>Dr. Mark F. Marzouk, one <BR>of few experts in use of<BR>new minimally invasive<BR>salivary procedure.</DIV></DIV>
<P>In 2010, soon after Dr. Marzouk joined our faculty, he performed the first salivary endoscopy ever done on Long Island. This minimally invasive technique allows for the examination of the salivary ducts under endoscopic guidance. Treatments, such as stone removal, duct dilatation, and steroid injection, can be done at the same time.<BR><BR>Not only can duct narrowing be diagnosed and treated with salivary endoscopy. Sialolithiasis, or stone(s) in the salivary duct, is the most common disease of the salivary gland for which salivary endoscopy is done. It affects approximately 12 in 1,000 adults. Symptoms include pain, intermittent swelling of the gland, and possibly severe infection. <BR><BR>The success rate of salivary endoscopy in treating sialolithiasis is over 90%, as reported in the current literature, with less than 5% recurrence. Recovery time is much faster than with an open technique, and patients may return to a normal diet the same day. <BR><BR>Salivary endoscopy allows for salivary gland surgery in a safe and effective way, and is done on an outpatient basis. <BR><BR>The current standard in most institutions for treating salivary duct stones has been surgical removal of the gland that entails an incision in the neck and an overnight stay in the hospital. The conventional "open" operation also carries with it the potential complications of scarring, wound infection, and nerve injury. <BR><BR>Originally developed in Switzerland, the salivary endoscopy procedure is truly one of the most fascinating and patient-centered innovations introduced in recent years in the field of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. <BR><BR><SPAN class=pointer><STRONG>Stony Brook Medicine is the only institution in both Nassau and Suffolk counties currently providing this truly state-of-the-art service to patients. <A href="/surgery/patient-care/clinical/ent-surgery/services/salivary-endoscopy" target=_blank>Read more about salivary endoscopy</A>.</STRONG></SPAN></P>
