In Saint Sofia medical center the folloing highly specialized activities are performed:

 

NEUROLOGY

 

Electroencephalography

 

Electroencephalography or EEG for short, is a way to verify if the human brain is functioning correctly. This method establishes whether there are deviations in the normal electrical activity of the brain. It is a study of various diseases in patients and their influence on him. Most often it comes to epilepsy, finding tumors and others. Diagnostic procedure, during which record brain inpulses that are displayed in a grapf /electroencephalogram/.

EEG may be used to diagnose:

- epilepsy

- brain tumors

- conditions after head injury

- inflammatory and vascular brain diseases

- strokes

 

Electromyography

 

This is electrophysiological testing used to diagose muscle diseases of peripheral nerves.

The test is administered for patient with the foloowing illnesses:

- of the muscular system and peripheral nerves;

- inflammation /plexitis, neuralgia/;

 discopathy;

- sciatica; 

- post-praumatic disabilities, polio;

- wealness and pain in the extremities;

- tremor;

- Parkonson;

- muscle atrophy

- changes in endocrine diseases, diabetic polyneuropathy and others.

 

EMG may be performed under different cinditions of muscle - pease, tension, random contraction. The duration of the procedure is from 30 minutes to an hour.

 

SURGERY

 

Gastroscopy

 

The Gastroscopy is a part of esophagogastroduodenoscopy - a research that is done hrough a thorough view of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum.

The study is carried out through a thin tube introduced through the mouth.

Upper endoscopy is performed to diagnose diseases of esophagus, stomach and duodenum. Such diseases are gastroesophagealen reflux esophagitis, peptic ulcer disease, benign and malignant neoplasms.

Doctor may test in complaints of pain in the upper abdomen, heaviness after eating, nausea, vomiting, difficulty swalliwing, and others.

At the begining of the study local anesthetic is injected into the mouth and throat. If necessary research is conducted under general anesthesia and analgesia.

In the mouth is placed padding that protects the endoscope in its introduction.

Breathing is not difficult to conduct the procedure. It is beginning to provoke some discomfort - a feeling of nausea and feeling sick.

Endoscope passes through the esophagus, stomach and duodenum and and on this way they are observed.

Endoscope channels permit the introduction of various tools to help to carry out the medical procedures. These are:

- expansion in the structures of the esophagus. This is a hard and inelastic tissue - fibrosis, in which the esophagus narrows, thus impeding the passage of food and fluids through it

- removal of benign tumors /polyps/

- at the discretion stop bleeding ulcer

 

 Colonoscopy

 

Test in which through the rectum in the colon is introdused a fiber optic device.

This allows a view of the lining and taking a biopsies for morphological study of pathological lesions.

Colonoscopy is performed in:

- blood in stools;

- abdominal pain;

- diarrhea;

- constipation alternating with diarrhea;

- pathological finding in irigography;

- previous polypectomy;

- screeninf for formation of colon

 Before the studi monitoring of respiration is provided, blood pressure and heart activity are checked.

The patient is put under intravenous anesthesia.

Before and during the procedure are made the necessary infusions.

The patient is placed mostly sideways.

After digital rectal touche in the anal opening is introdused an optic apparatus.

It helps to get a view on the lining of the colon along its entire length.

In the channels of the device may be introduced different instruments for - coagulation, biopsy, polypectomy, and others.

 

Lungs diseases

 

Fibrobronhoscopy - this is an endoscopic examination of the lungs that occurs with fibrobronhoskop - a vevice with fiber optics lighting system which is far from the patient and avoid the heat of the apparatus and the tissue. It provides information about the bronchial tree, the presence or absense of patology in the lungs or adjacent organs, enables biopsies and precise determination of the diognosis.

Applicable to nearly all lungs illnesses.

The study is performed under local anesthesia to suppress coughing reflex and to avoid feelings of discomfort. General anesthesia is not used because it stops breathing. When a  fibrobronhoscopy is skillfully conducted, riscks are minimal, unlike the rigid bronchoscopy, which is rarely applied.

 

CARDIOLOGY

 

The electrocardiography /ECG for short/ is a magor diagnostic method in cardiovascular disorders. They reflect the total electrical activity of the heart during one of its cycle. Its registration is done by using special electrodes. In general, each ECG has three main points - P-wave /reflected cuts atria/, QRS - complex / chamber is cut/ and T-wave /reflected recovery of the chamber during diastole. The shape and size of teeth and spaces between them suffer a variety of normal and pathological variations.

Furthermore, the typical appearance of the described sinus rhythm, which is normal, may be impaired in different ways /example of abnormal or ectopic foci of excitation /which speaks a lot to the specialist.

Addition to the normal ECG is often appropriate application and ergometry. It is expressed in continuous ECG recording of cardiac patients while he makes particular wheel. The purpose of this study is to seek medical ECG features that are hidden in normal conditions and is triggered by the load.

There are, however, in patients with severe heart condition or diabetes and other serious concomitant diseases where there is increased risk in carrying out ergometry, the test is not done.

 

 Echocardiography is a method for diagnosing heart ilnesses by ultrasound.

Echocardiography allows to be diognosed:

- valvular heart lesions;

- cardiopathy;

- pericardial disease;

- IHD / Ischemic heart disease/;

- Tumours of the heart;

- Infective endocarditis;

- congenital cardiac anomalies;

- dissection of the aorta

It may be used to determine the thickness of the ventricular septal, free wall of the left ventricicle, the size of the aorta, left atrium and right ventricle, the dimentions and volumes of left ventricular cavity and left ventricular function.

 

 Stress test

 

This is a widely used method for detemining the status and functional reserve of the cardiovascular system is exercise.

It occupies a central place to demonstrate ischemia.

 

Indications for stress tesing are:

- vague chest pain;

- proven ischemic heart disease / assessment of severity and prognosis of the disease/;

- monitoring of the effect of the present treatment;

- arterial hypertension with physical exercise;

- heart failure

Working sample is made by gradually increasing the load on the exercise bike or treadmillmoving - treadmil. During this time, the doctor monitors for changes in the cardiogram, heart rate, blood pressure. If a change in the cardiogram or discomfort in the heart area are appeared - the study stops.