Good-bye Annual Exams: New Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines Focus on Patient's Age
April 12th 2012New screening guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer are now largely based on the patient’s age and, for the first time, testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA has been incorporated into the screening process.
Betamethasone Dosing at 12 Hours is Beneficial in Preterm Birth
April 10th 2012Research has shown that glucocorticoid administration has a significant beneficial effect for preterm births, as it decreases the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome in infants delivered between 24 weeks and 34 weeks gestation, reduces the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage, improves circulatory stability in premature infants, reduces the need for oxygen and ventilatory support, and reduces overall neonatal mortality.
New Blood Test Improves Detection of Recurrent Breast Cancer
April 9th 2012Women with a history of breast cancer have a one in five chance that the cancer will recur within 10 years of treatment. With that in mind, researchers have developed a blood test that can detect cancer recurrence sooner and with more sensitivity than previous blood tests.
Transparency Is Best When Adverse Events Occur
April 5th 2012Telling a patient about an adverse event is arguably one of the more difficult aspects of practicing medicine. When an adverse outcome does occur, a timely, honest, fact-based account can actually benefit the patient-physician relationship in that it can promote trust.
Laparoscopic Hysterectomy Associated With Increased Quality of Life
April 4th 2012Although more than 500,000 hysterectomies are performed annually in the U.S. to treat benign pelvic diseases, most outcome studies of the procedure look at clinical factors such as operation time, surgical complications, and hospital stays while ignoring patient satisfaction and quality of life issues. Now, a new study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology has found that patients who receive laparoscopic hysterectomy may fare better than those who receive abdominal hysterectomy.
The Fertility Preservation Pipeline Is Clogged for Women with Cancer
April 3rd 2012Here's a situation that illustrates how fantastic medical advances don't always translate to patients benefiting in the clinic. For that to happen, the science needs to be carried along a pipeline of practitioner communication, all the way to the patient.
MRI Useful, Cost-Effective for Women with a Family History of Breast Cancer
April 2nd 2012Magnetic resonance imaging can be helpful and cost-effective in detecting breast cancer in certain patient populations, according to new research presented at the 8th European Breast Cancer Conference in Vienna, Austria.
Laparoscopic hysterectomy may be better with the robot
April 1st 2012An Italian meta-analysis assessing differences between traditional and robot-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy found the robotic approach superior in shorter length of hosptial stay, fewer complications, and fewer conversions to laparotomy.
Weight gain by 24 weeks may predict GDM risk
April 1st 2012Gestational weight gain within the first 24 weeks is a significant prognostic factor for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), particularly in women who are already overweight or obese before becoming pregnancy, according to a retrospective cohort study.
Women's heart disease often undetected, untreated
April 1st 2012Heart disease among women - the leading cause of death among women in the United States- could be better detected and managed if ob/gyns implemented screening, education, and referral programs, researchers told the 61st Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago, March 24-27.
Advanced maternal age and the risk of antepartum stillbirth
April 1st 2012A 39-year old G1P0 is at 30 weeks' gestation. Her pregnancy has been uncomplicated, with a normal cardiovascular system and anatomy scan. She has no underlying medical disorders. What are the risks of antepartum stillbirth associated with advanced maternal age?
Anal intraepithelial neoplasia and anal cancer: Who should be screened?
April 1st 2012The association between the human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer has been well established. Ongoing research and interest have led to the development and improvement of screening methods and preventive vaccines that have effected an overall decrease in incidence rates of cervical cancer, especially in developed countries. In addition, the recently developed prophylactic vaccines against HPV provide the potential benefit of reducing cytologic abnormalities, leading to fewer referrals for colposcopy and excisional procedures.
He said, she said: Consent for postpartum sterilization contested
April 1st 2012The 34-year-old patient was admitted to the defendant hospital for a repeat c?sarean delivery at 39 weeks' gestation. She has no significant past medical or surgery history. According to a perinatal admission form, she had 2 daughters: a 13-year-old, born at a nonparty hospital by cesarean delivery following breech presentation and a 7-year-old, born at the defendant hospital after a failed vaginal birth after prior cesarean,. The preanesthesia evaluation noted that she had also had 2 prior ectopic pregnancies.
It takes a big man to admit he's wrong
April 1st 2012I have been teaching gynecologic ultrasound for 25 years and espousing the virtues of saline infusion sonohysterography (SIS) for more than 20. And almost since the introduction of global endometrial ablation (GEA) devices, at various ultrasound courses and conferences, I have virtually always been asked, "What do I do with the patient who has had a global endometrial ablation and now has irregular bleeding premenopausally or any bleeding postmenopausally?"
Peeling the onion on the link between BRCA1, BRCA2, and ovarian cancer risk and prognosis
April 1st 2012While the field of cancer genetics may seem pretty rececnt, ancient Greek physicians observed that the occurrence of breast cancer was more common in certain families. In the late 1800s, Paul Broca, the famous French surgeon and anthropologist best known for discovering the speech production center in the frontal lobe, was one of the first to formally recognize genetic pedigrees in breast cancers.
Pregnancy associated with increased MI risk, severity
April 1st 2012Physiologic developments associated with pregnancy, including increased blood volume and hormonal changes, appear to increase both the risk and severity of acute myocaridal infarction during pregnancy and as long as 3 months postpartum, according to research presented at the 61st Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago, March 24-27.