The Future of Medicine: Then
Developed 20 years ago by a team of IU physicians, the treatment for testicular cancer involves chemotherapy, radiation and nerve-sparing surgery. This practice is now the standard of care around the world.
IU radiation oncologists and surgeons partner to use Indiana’s only Gamma Knife to treat patients with brain tumors, vascular and ocular disorders as well as epilepsy. Focused beams of gamma radiation are precisely targeted to the problem areas of the brain, eliminating the abnormality and the many risks of traditional surgery.
IU cardiovascular surgeons were the first in the country to perform a pediatric heart transplant in 1986 as well as the first infant heart transplant in 1990. IU specialists were also responsible for Indiana’s first cord blood transplantation, as well as the state’s first kidney, liver, cornea, bone marrow and pancreas transplants.
IU otolaryngologists (ear, nose and throat surgeons) were the first in the world to develop the cochlear implant, an electrical device which restores the ability to hear in certain deaf and hearing-impaired individuals.
In a four-center study, led by an IU neurologist, researchers developed and tested a new medication for Alzheimer disease, now FDA approved and a standard of care worldwide.
When maximum medication fails to control epileptic seizures, IU neurosurgeons developed a delicate brain surgery to lessen the severity of seizures and provide the only known cure for the disease.
IU physicians established the world’s first repository for DNA of individuals with inherited diseases for use in future research and counseling. This bank helped IU faculty pinpoint abnormal genes for Huntington and Alzheimer disease and 40 other inherited disorders.