CONSULTS
WINTER 2008
N E W S F O R P H Y S I C I A N S F R O M T H E U CO N N H E A LT H C E N T E R
treating back pain
IN THIS ISSUE
• Treating Back Pain
• Focus on Physicians
• Once-Yearly Medication
for Osteoporosis
• Eliminating
Varicose Veins
PHYSICIAN
DIRECTORY
With more than 350
physicians, UConn
has the largest multispecialty group in
central Connecticut.
We cover virtually
every specialty and
subspecialty in
health care.
Detailed, up-todate information
about our specialists is available on
our online physician
directory at http://
uconndocs.uchc.edu.
Bruce M. Brenner, M.D.
Eighty percent of people are affected by back pain at
some point during their lives. While most back pain goes away
on its own, if you have a patient whose back pain persists, it
may be time to call UConn’s Comprehensive Spine Center.
“People are sometimes hesitant to seek medical attention
for their back and neck pain because they fear invasive surgery
and months of recovery,” says Hilary Onyiuke, M.D., director
of the Comprehensive Spine Center, part of the New England
Musculoskeletal Institute at the UConn Health Center.
“We can resolve most back pain without surgery. It’s
important for patients whose back pain is severe, is
caused by an injury or does not improve after a
few days, to seek medical attention.”
For patients with acute, non-traumatic back or
neck pain, the first step in treatment is a thorough
examination to determine the correct diagnosis.
This is followed by a combination of pain relief
and lifestyle modifications.
Treatment options
Pain relief can be provided through
the use of medications complemented by
physical therapy, aquatic therapy and other
pain relief techniques. If pain persists,
physicians can use injection therapies.
For some patients, the only option is
surgery. “Back and neck surgery techniques
have improved significantly in recent years,”
says R. Alexander Mohr, M.D., assistant
director of the Comprehensive Spine Center.
“Many procedures require only a small
incision, an overnight hospital stay and a
week or two of recovery time.”
“For patients with a herniated disc, we
can perform a microdiscectomy removing
the portion of the disc that is affecting the
nerve and causing pain,” says Patrick Senatus,
M.D., Ph.D., who recently joined the center.
“Within two weeks, patients return to their
normal activities and are better than their
pre-surgery self.”
The Comprehensive Spine Center also offers
patients laminectomy to treat pain caused by the
narrowing of the spinal canal, which is most often
a result of degenerative joint disease. During this
procedure, the surgeon widens the spinal canal,
taking pressure off the nerves and eliminating pain.
For patients with acute back pain caused by a
source that itself cannot be resolved, neurostimulation can be used to provide pain relief.
continued on page 2
FOCUS ON PHYSICIANS
Uconn Welcomes New Physicians
R. Alexander Mohr, M.D.
Patrick Senatus, M.D., Ph.D.
biree Andemariam, M.D.
Joseph C. Anderson, M.D.
R. Alexander Mohr, M.D.,
a spine surgeon and assistant
director of the Comprehensive Spine Center, is now
seeing patients at the New
England Musculoskelatal
Institute. Dr. Mohr’s area of
specialty is operative treatment of spinal disorders
including disc degeneration,
spinal trauma and fusion. He
is an assistant professor of
orthopaedic surgery at the
UConn School of Medicine.
A graduate of the University
of Utah Medical School, Dr.
Mohr completed his residency in orthopaedics at the
University of Utah Hospital
and Clinics and a fellowship
in spine surgery at the
University of Wisconsin.
Patrick Senatus, M.D.,
Ph.D., a neurosurgeon with
expertise in treating movement disorders as well as
acute and chronic neck and
back pain, is now seeing
patients at the New England
Musculoskelatal Institute.
Dr. Senatus is a graduate
of Harvard College and
Harvard Medical School.
He also earned a doctorate in neurobiology from
Harvard University. He did
his residency training in
neurological surgery at New
York-Presbyterian Hospital of
Columbia University Medical Center and completed a
fellowship in functional and
restorative neurosurgery at
the Cleveland Clinic.
Biree Andemariam, M.D.,
a blood disorders specialist
who specializes in hematologic blood disorders and
hematologic oncology, is now
seeing patients at the Lea’s
Foundation Center for
Hematologic Disorders in
the Carole and Ray Neag
Comprehensive Cancer
Center. Dr. Andemariam
graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine. She
completed her postdoctoral
training at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Medical
College of Cornell University
as an intern and assistant
chief resident of internal
medicine, then as a clinical
fellow and ultimately chief
fellow of hematology and
medical oncology.
Joseph C. Anderson, M.D.,
an expert in colon cancer
screening and prevention,
has joined the UConn
Health Center and is now
seeing patients in the Colon
Cancer Prevention Program
and the Division of Gastroenterology. He comes to UConn
from the Stony Brook
University Medical Center
where he had an active clinical practice and conducted
extensive clinical research
on colon cancer prevention.
Dr. Anderson completed
his residency training and a
gastroenterology fellowship
at Stony Brook after earning
his doctorate in medicine at
the Mount Sinai School of
Medicine in New York City.
He is board-certified in
internal medicine.
Electrodes are implanted
in the back to stimulate
pain-inhibiting nerve fibers,
masking pain with a tingling
sensation.
The Comprehensive Spine
Center offers a full range of
services for patients suffering
from neck and back pain.
Our experts provide today’s
best non-surgical and surgical approaches, including
injection therapies.
To refer a patient or speak
with a doctor at the Comprehensive Spine Center, call
the physician referral line at
877-676-1733.
continued from page 1
Treating
Back Pain
2 Consults • Winter 2008
Osteoporosis
Experts Offer
Once-Yearly Medication
Pam Taxel, M.D.
Another tool to help create
personalized plans for patients
Experts at the UConn Center for Osteoporosis,
part of the New England Musculoskeletal Institute,
are offering a new, once-yearly treatment to fight
osteoporosis and prevent painful fractures.
Unlike other bisphosphonates such as Fosomax®,
Reclast® is administered by IV infusion once a year.
At UConn, the infusion is given in the outpatient
Procedures Center, which is part of the John Dempsey
Hospital—the region’s only Solucient Top 100
Hospital. The infusion typically lasts about
15 minutes.
“This medication is another option in our
armamentarium to help women with osteoporosis,”
says specialist Pam Taxel, M.D. “The fact that it is
given only once a year is very appealing to many
women. However, this medication is not for
everyone. Like all medications, the benefits and
risks need to be carefully weighed,” she adds.
About Reclast
Reclast was approved by the FDA for the
treatment of osteoporosis in August 2007 after
studies showed it protected patients from fractures.
However, it is not a new drug. Earlier in 2007, it
was approved for the treatment of Paget’s disease,
and its active ingredient, zoledronic acid, has been
used for many years to treat certain types of cancer.
Reclast is ideal for women with osteoporosis
who:
l Are post-menopausal
l Do not have low blood calcium
l Do not have chronic kidney disease
Side Effects are Minimal
The most common side effects reported have
been fever; pain in muscles, bones or joints;
flu-like symptoms and headache. These symptoms
usually occur within the first three days following
administration and usually resolve within three
The First Step
to four days.
“The most important first step for any woman
Because there is a very rare connection between
suspected of having osteoporosis or osteopenia
bisphosphonate medications and a condition
is to be thoroughly evaluated by a physician who
is specially trained in the treatment of osteoporosis known as osteonecrosis of the jaw, anyone taking
and metabolic bone disorders,” says Jo-Anne Smith, a bisphosphonate, including Reclast, should alert
M.D., director of the UConn Center for Osteoporosis. their dentist or dental specialist before undergoing
a dental procedure such as an extraction or any
“That is what we do with every patient. We start
other dental surgery. The dentist may recommend
by using the most sophisticated diagnostic tools
that treatment is temporarily stopped before the
and work with each woman to create a tailored,
procedure.
personalized treatment plan that reflects her
unique needs,” Dr. Smith says.
So far, many of the women who have opted
to take Reclast are very pleased with the results,
Drs. Taxel and Smith add.
Jo-Anne Smith, M.D.
Drs. Taxel and Smith
see patients at the New
England Musculoskeletal
Institute on the main
campus of the UConn
Health Center in Farmington. Dr. Taxel also
sees patients in the East
Hartford office of UConn
Health Partners. For
more information, visit
http://nemsi.uchc.edu
or to refer a patient, call
the physician referral
line at 877-676-1733.
Winter 2008 • Consults 3
Eliminating varicose veins
4
Varicose veins
occur when
those valves are
faulty and allow
blood to flow
downward and
pool in the vein.
Normal valve
stops downward flow
Faulty valve
allows downward flow
4
In normal veins,
blood flows up
to the heart, and
valves within
the vein stop
the downward
flow of blood.
4
Minimally invasive procedure gets patients back on their feet
To refer a patient or to consult with Dr. Dahn, call
the physician referral line at 877-676-1733. To
learn more about varicose vein symptoms, risk
factors and prevention, visit the National Libraries
of Medicine at: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
varicoseveins.html.
Varicose veins are swollen and twisted veins
that are visible just under the surface of the skin.
They affect 1 out of 2 people over age 50, and
are more common in women than men. Varicose veins appear most commonly in the legs,
but also can develop in other parts of the body.
Vascular surgeon Michael Dahn, M.D., Ph.D.,
of the UConn Health Center says, “These veins
can be unsightly, causing sufferers to be selfconscious and embarrassed. But varicose veins
are not just a cosmetic problem. They can be a
serious health problem causing uncomfortable
symptoms, including pain, swelling and even
blood clots.”
According to Dr. Dahn, physicians generally
will first try methods that don’t involve surgery
to relieve symptoms. If varicose veins do not
respond to this conservative therapy, more active
treatment may be recommended.
Older treatments for removal were invasive,
painful and required long recovery periods. Fortunately, Dr. Dahn offers patients a minimally invasive option called endovenous laser treatment
that gets patients back on their feet immediately.
During the procedure, a laser is fired along
and inside the varicose vein. The energy from
the laser damages the vein walls, shrinking them
to prevent blood from flowing through. Research
shows a success rate of 93 to 98 percent.
“The advantage of this technique is that it’s
an outpatient procedure with no scarring and
minimal post-procedure pain. There is almost
immediate relief and a quick return to activity,”
says Dr. Dahn.
CONTACT US
3 genes discovered by Health Center researchers
investigating glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness
$938 million of New Gross State Product generated
by the UConn Health Center, on average each year
(each dollar of state appropriation leverages $9.20 in
new GSP statewide)
Know more — visit
www.KnowBetterCare.org
Want to learn more
about the UConn
Health Center?
Please contact:
Rick Daddario
Physician
Outreach Manager
UConn Health
Center
860-679-1695 or
877-676-1733