School of Medicine

This illustration of the Cox-Maze procedure shows the ablation lines in the left atrium.Heart surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have helped usher in a new era in the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation. Using radiofrequency devices — rather than a scalpel — they’ve greatly shortened the surgery and made it significantly easier to perform. WUSM surgeon Ralph J. Damiano Jr. and colleagues have played a vital role in developing the devices, which deliver high-energy waves to heart tissue and very quickly create scars or ablations. More…

Ophthalmologist Lawrence Tychsen examines a patient.A pediatric ophthalmologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and St. Louis Children’s Hospital conducts specialized testing and vision correction (refractive) surgery, on children with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and neurobehavioral disorders such as autism. To date, this is one of the only U.S. medical centers performing refractive surgery on these children and has the highest volume, operating on about 60 special-needs children a year. More…

Photo by Robert BostonStephen J. Benkovic, Ph.D., Arthur Horwich, M.D., and Carl Frieden, Ph.D., talk at the “Symposium at 77” held in honor of Frieden Sept. 21.

A fatal pediatric neurodegenerative disorder may be treatable via a molecule already targeted by approved drugs, School of Medicine researchers have found.

School of Medicine researchers used transparent fish embryos to discover how genes and diet interact to cause birth defects.

School of Medicine research has found that if the brain could make the right connections, we all might be smarter.

A St. Louis based company has developed a nanotechnology process to reduce artery-clogging plaque, which causes heart attacks. Drs. Samuel Wickline and Gregory Lanza made the discovery at the School of Medicine.

The Sonic hedgehog, discovered by School of Medicine researchers, could benefit patients suffering from ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarctions.

An education program reduced bloodstream infections associated with central venous catheters in critical care patients by 21 percent, School of Medicine researchers found.

Three Danforth Campus lectures exploring “A Higher Sense of Purpose” will be simulcast in School of Medicine facilities.