Stephen Deppen Archives
Surgery risk model proves invaluable during pandemic
Oct. 29, 2020—When Gov. Bill Lee halted all elective, or scheduled rather than urgent, surgical procedures in Tennessee on March 19 in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 and conserve medical supplies and equipment, surgical and administrative leaders at Vanderbilt University Medical Center began seeking solid data to drive any future decision to safely restart these procedures.
Team explores fungal infection quandary in lung cancer screenings
Apr. 18, 2019—Serving a region that lies within the tobacco belt, clinicians at Vanderbilt Health face challenges distinguishing lung cancer from histoplasmosis, a fungal infection that creates cancer-mimicking lesions in the lungs.
New histoplasmosis risk map
Sep. 14, 2018—The new mapping approach, called suitability score mapping, should improve public health assessments and interventions for geographic-specific infections.
Study finds accuracy of lung cancer imaging varies by region
Sep. 24, 2014—A new analysis of published studies found that FDG-PET technology is less accurate in diagnosing lung cancer versus benign disease in regions where infections like histoplasmosis or tuberculosis are common.