At The Hip
Dr. Cass Nakasone, chief of surgical services, specializes in minimally invasive joint replacement surgery (photo courtesy Hawaii Pacific Health).
Throughout its century of serving Hawai‘i, Straub Medical Center has brought many innovations to the community. Among them is its Bone & Joint Center.
The bone and joint program features a team of experts that provide care at every point of healing, including surgical and nonsurgical treatments as well as rehabilitation services.
Among the physician leaders for the program is Dr. Cass Nakasone, chief of surgical services. He specializes in minimally invasive joint replacement surgery, which is one of the highlights of the Bone & Joint program.
Through this program, Straub has been the first to offer truly subspecialized orthopedic surgical care. This includes the first to bring Anterior Approach Total Hip Replacements (using image guidance to improve outcomes); and the first in the state to offer high-volume specialized joint replacement services, including out-patient replacements.
Because of its Bone & Joint program’s success, Straub is internationally recognized as a Center of Excellence for total joint replacements, and surgeons from around the world have visited the medical center to learn more about total joint replacements and to observe surgeries.
The program also offers the only ultrasound-assisted carpal tunnel surgery in Hawai‘i. The procedure was pioneered at the Mayo Clinic, which invited Straub’s doctors to be among the first in the nation to bring the procedure to their patients.
“The ultrasound allows for a 15-minute office outpatient procedure with no anesthesia or anesthesiologist,” states Dr. Sam Chen, an orthopedic hand surgeon at Straub Medical Center. He adds that patients’ recovery has been quicker than with previous treatments.
“Although we’re in the middle of the Pacific, our team works to stay up-to-date and maintain relationships with the top medical experts in the U.S. Our relationship with the Mayo Clinic originates with Dr. (Michael) Yamazaki — our sports medicine physician — working closely with the leading musculoskeletal ultrasound professor, Dr. Jay Smith, from the Mayo Clinic. Our two teams communicate monthly and Straub Medical Center is part of the Mayo Clinic research project for carpal tunnel syndrome,” Chen explains.
Straub is also an Ultrasound Center of Excellence. It has two musculoskeletal ultrasound-certified sports medicine physicians. As a combined team, Straub can treat and resolve many orthopedic problems without the need for an MRI or surgery.
“We are able to confidently say that our patients are receiving the exact leading-edge treatment options as the best medical institutions in America,” Chen concludes.
hawaiipacifichealth.org.