I want to know the names, qualifications, and hospital affiliations of
physicians using Endoscopic Ultrasound for diagnosis and possibly for
treatment who practice in the Northern NJ area.  By Northern NJ I mean
the area within a radius of about 30 miles of Summit, NJ. Iam
searchingfor a friend who does not have internet skills. Reason for
the search is given in the following paragraph. This colleague had a
PET scan for another reason which revealed surprisingly that he has a
mass surrounding the billary and pancreatic ducts.  Subsequent
endoscopy and biopsy showed that he has an adenoma encircling the
pancreatic and common duct which was not found to be malignant but
which may be invading the common duct.  His local physician has
recommended that he see  Dr. Tamir Ben-Menachem at Robert Woods
Johnson Hospital for a further diagnosis using endoscopic ultrasound. 
I can find only a minimal profile on Dr. Ben-Menachem on the web.
My colleague would prefer to find a physician with well established
credentials practicing in a hospital in the Northern NJ area.

Hi carlosh-ga, and thanks for your question.

I have done some searches around the Summit, NJ area and have come up
with some results for you.  Your colleague is fortunate to live in an
area with several possibilities to choose from.



The Gastrointestinal group at St. Barnabas Hospital has been doing
endoscopic ultrasound for several years.  Here is an article
describing their program's introduction:

http://www.sbhcs.com/services/oncology/horizon/summer2003/minimally.html

Dr. Ruffini, the chairman of the Gastroenterology department at St.
Barnabas is a good person to start with.  His contact information can
be found here:

http://physicians.saintbarnabas.com/DetailedInfo.aspx?physid=3326

_______________

Perhaps an even better option would be Dr. Mark Sterling at the
University Hospital (part of UMDNJ).  Dr. Sterling is the chief of the
Gastroenterology division there and has a particular clinical focus on
(among other things) endoscopic ultrasound.  He has done fellowship
training at Tufts and at the Cleveland Clinic.  Here is his contact
information:

http://www.umdnj.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/quinnaj/76a9-cdb5.cgi?Last_Name=Sterling&First_Name=Mark

You can find the general department page here:
http://www.theuniversityhospital.com/uh/133.htm

UMDNJ has an interesting article highlighting Dr. Sterling's work with
EUS at the link below.  The article also gives details on the devices
used and the types of images obtained.
http://www.theuniversityhospital.com/healthlink/archives/articles/gastroprocedures.html

_______________

There are other options near northern NJ, if your colleague is willing
to travel into Manhattan.  Just over the river, along the eastern edge
of Central Park, is the Palisades Medical Center, part of NY
Presbyterian Healthcare.

Dr. Harry Snady has done work with EUS and pancreatic masses and is
likely the best person from this institution to start with.  Here is
his contact information:


Snady, Harry, M.D.
Address :	22 East 88th St., New York, NY 10128
Telephone : (212) 876-8846

You can find an article written by Dr. Snady on the staging of
pancreatic masses here:
http://www.eusimaging.com/reference/papers/stages_panc/stages_panc_print.html

_______________

Although obviously more focussed on cancer diagnosis and treatment,
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, an international class
institution, is also just east of Central Park.  There are three
gastroenterology specialists who perform endoscopic ultrasound as
MSKCC.  Here is their contact information:

Gerdes, Hans
(212) 639-7108
http://www.mskcc.org/prg/prg/bios/114.cfm
	
Markowitz, Arnold J.
(212) 639-2901
http://www.mskcc.org/prg/prg/bios/117.cfm
	
Schattner, Mark A.
(212) 639-3148
http://www.mskcc.org/prg/prg/bios/664.cfm

http://www.mskcc.org/prg/prg/diagnoses_and_procedures/ENDS-GAS-END.cfm



In case you have not yet found this information, here are some sites
regarding Dr. Ben-Menachem:

http://www.rwjuh.edu/physicians/physician_profile.aspx?physicianid=3150
http://umg.umdnj.edu/public/directory/doctor.asp?doctor=670600498
http://umg.umdnj.edu/public/directory/medicine/gastro/default.asp


Dr. Ben-Menachem is an associate professor at RWJ  and collaborated on
the writing of a textbook (at least by providing images):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0781730813/104-9089673-4298302?v=glance&n=283155

http://www.amazon.com/gp/phrase/ref=cap_bod_10/104-9089673-4298302?%5Fencoding=UTF8&src=0781730813&checkSum=4IKD%2FgY190DcvptJVhTYHtxTSMt8m6vOtoO8Zke0sX4%3D&phrase=Tamir%20Ben-Menachem


If you like, you could ask him directly the extent of his experience with EUS:
benmenta@umdnj.edu



===================

I hope this information is helpful.  Please feel free to request
clarification prior to rating.

Best,

        -welte-ga

Hello!

I found some information that might interest you. It's regarding
Anusak Yiengpruksawan, M.D., Named Director of Surgical Oncology at
The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J.

"Dr. Yiengpruksawan (known among his patients and colleagues as Dr.
Yieng) has been at Valley since 1995 and is internationally recognized
for his skills in surgical oncology, endoscopic ultrasound, minimally
invasive surgery, and robotic surgery. In addition to treating
patients with cancer, Dr. Yieng also practices general surgery to
treat many other digestive disorders of the stomach, pancreas,
gallbladder, liver, esophagus, small and large intestines, and bile
ducts.

Dr. Yieng is the only surgeon in northern New Jersey who performs
endoscopic ultrasound, a technique that uses sound waves to detect the
presence of tumors and other abnormalities in gastrointestinal organs.
Endoscopic ultrasound often enables patients to avoid a surgical
procedure for a biopsy or cancer staging. Images gleaned from
endoscopic ultrasound help Dr. Yieng to develop a preparatory ?road
map? if the patient needs to undergo surgery to remove a cancerous
tumor or tissues."

I'm not sure about the part where it says he's the only surgeon, but
it looks like he's got some good credentials.

Source: http://www.valleyhealth.com/scripts/valley_article.asp?article_id=82

I hope this helps!

Best regards,

Marcus