 |
Clinical Services
At the Division of Nephrology at Montefiore Medical Center, we offer our patients the added benefit of receiving care from a program that is an established forerunner in the field of renal osteodystrophy, the bone disease and metabolic disorders prevalent in patients with renal disease.
National leadership in an emerging field
The relationship between kidney disease and compromised bone health has only recently begun to be understood, and we are national leaders in the emerging field of renal osteodystrophy. We receive many referrals from the New York City metropolitan area — and beyond — to provide renal patients with bone biopsies to determine their bone health. We are able to give their primary physicians specialized advice about the best treatments for bone and mineral metabolism and hyperparathyroidism, and to avoid or minimize the occurrence of bone fractures and arterial calcifications.
We are committed to the prevention and proactive treatment of renal osteodystrophy, rather than reversing the damage that can occur when diagnosis and treatment is delayed.
We have more than a decade of experience in the field, and several of our past fellows have gone on to start their own kidney bone disease clinics. We are proud to be among only a handful of medical centers that are helping to establish renal osteodystrophy diagnosis and treatment standards for the National Kidney Foundation.
Cutting edge diagnostic tools
A valuable tool in our arsenal is our ability to perform bone biopsies in renal patients in order to assess their bone health. And recent advancements have made this incredibly valuable diagnostic method quick and with minimal discomfort.
Bone biopsies are now done on an out-patient basis, and the entire process can be completed in an hour. Patients receive light sedation, when requested, or minimal local anesthesia. With either method, patients have likened the procedure to receiving a filling from their dentist. A state-of-the-art electric drill, no larger than a pencil tip, is used to take a small sample from the bone of the patient's hip. The sample is analyzed in the lab to provide a highly specific diagnosis.
Commitment to ongoing research
We are continually expanding our specialized expertise through research and clinical trials. Among the research initiatives currently underway at the center are studies that address the effectiveness of new medicines on the parathyroid gland and osteoporosis in renal patients and patients with kidney transplants.
We are committed to giving our patients access to the most sophisticated care and follow-up treatment for renal disease and its many consequences, particularly renal osteodystrophy.
Renal Osteodystrophy and Hyperparathyroidism
One Family, Two Generations of Nurses
I still look forward to going to work every day. Nursing is an exciting and rewarding job.
[more]
