Brachial plexus injury causation in newborns debated
May 1st 2010Brachial plexus injury in newborns is commonly ascribed to the occurrence of head rotation with entrapment of the shoulders and subsequent downward traction by the accoucheur on the fetal head, resulting in avulsion of the brachial plexus nerve roots with permanent paralysis. In brachial plexus injury cases, plaintiff attorneys usually contend that damage to the brachial plexus is always caused by negligence of the birth attendant. However, a review of current literature reveals evidence that additional etiologies may underpin brachial plexus injury and raises questions regarding the level of responsibility of the birth attendant in connection with the injury.
Do patients with breast cancer understand genomic test results?
May 1st 2010A study involving 77 women with early stage breast cancer who underwent Oncotype DX, a genomic test that provides recurrence risk estimates to help plan adjuvant treatment, found that about one-third of patients did not fully understand subsequent discussions about their test results.
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine: Better ways to predict preterm birth
April 1st 2010Researchers from the University of Maryland and Yale University demonstrated that a 2-dimensional ultrasound measurement of the fetal zone of the adrenal gland is as accurate as predicting pre-term birth as the less available 3-dimensional ultrasound measurement of fetal adrenal gland volume.
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine: Peptides prevent fetal alcohol syndrome
April 1st 2010Having previously shown that prenatal treatment with neuroprotective peptides prevents alcohol-induced fetal anomalies and learning deficits during embryonic development, new research demonstrates how they do so using a model of pregnant mice.
Reassess VBAC guidelines, expert panel advises
April 1st 2010Hospitals, providers, insurers, consumers, and policymakers should work together to develop integrated services to lower barriers for women attempting to have a vaginal birth after a cesarean delivery with a low transverse uterine incision, a panel recommended.