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Pregnant women need to know cesareans are risk

Canadian doctors say that pregnant women considering a cesarean section, without a clear medical reason for it, need to know that the procedure is not without risk.

20 Feb 2007

More convenient and less invasive screening tests needed for colon cancer

Colon cancer screening rates continue to lag behind those for breast and cervical cancer.

20 Feb 2007

Can non-medical use of ultrasound be justified?

Expectant parent' desire to see images of their unborn children has given rise to commercial companies offering keepsake ultrasound scans without medical supervision, often referred to as "boutique ultrasonography."

5 Feb 2007

Uterine artery embolization is as effective as hysterectomy and myomectomy

Uterine artery embolization, a less-invasive treatment for uterine fibroids, is as effective as hysterectomy and myomectomy, according to a study published in the Jan. 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the Washington Post reports.

28 Jan 2007

Lap band surgery effective in combating obesity in adolescents

It is the first study to evaluate the lap band in patients under the age of 17, and it revealed that patients on average lost about 50% of their excess weight by one year after surgery.

23 Jan 2007

Rational solution to debate over compensation for kidney donation

The debate over ethical concerns of financial compensation for kidney donation continues to spark controversy, but a discussion in the latest issue of American Journal of Transplantation proposes a practical solution.

19 Nov 2006

Approval for face transplants from Royal College along with stern warning

Britain's Royal College of Surgeons has given their approval, albeit with some reservations, for face transplants to go ahead.

14 Nov 2006

Shaped-beam radiosurgery treats tiniest lung tumors

Patients with metastatic cancer tumors in their lungs are much more likely to live disease-free if they have an experimental treatment involving shaped-beam radiosurgery rather that conventional treatment, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study.

8 Nov 2006

U.S. companies consider overseas medical treatment for employees

According to the National Coalition on Health Care (NCHC), the number of Americans who are travelling overseas for medical treatment reached somewhere in the region of 500,000 last year.

6 Nov 2006

Virtual colonoscopy is an accurate screening method for colorectal cancer

"Our positive experience with virtual colonoscopy screening covered by health insurance demonstrates its enormous potential for increasing compliance for colorectal cancer prevention and screening"

17 Oct 2006

Many emergency caesareans could be prevented

Many emergency caesareans could be prevented by the attendance of a more skilled obstetrician, say senior doctors in this week's British Medical Journal.

21 Sep 2006

Ophthalmologists improve LASIK

Ophthalmologists have developed a formula that slashes by nearly two-thirds the likelihood that patients will need repeat visits to an eye surgeon to adjust their vision after their initial LASIK visit. That's because the formula makes it more likely that surgeons will get it right the first time.

20 Sep 2006

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois adds coverage for MammoSite

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois after meeting with experts last week has decided to cover the partial-breast radiation therapy known as MammoSite for patients with early stage breast cancer, officials for the insurer said, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

20 Sep 2006

Chemotherapy, nutrition and metallic flavors

About two million cancer patients currently receiving certain drug therapies and chemotherapy find foods and beverages to have a foul metallic flavor, according to a medical study. In general, more than 40 percent of hospitalized patients suffer from malnutrition due to taste and smell dysfunction.

19 Sep 2006

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois coverage policy for partial-breast radiation therapy to be reviewed

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois' policy that it does not cover partial-breast radiation therapy was scheduled to be reviewed last Wednesday in Dallas during a three-day meeting of Health Care Service Corporation officials, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

18 Sep 2006

Quality indicators for gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures

Defining measurements and identifying quality standards in the delivery of colonoscopic care is a major priority for the nation's leading gastrointestinal endoscopic healthcare association.

13 Sep 2006

Another set of conjoined twins undergo lengthy separation surgery

In what is expected to be a long and lengthy operation, four-month-old conjoined twin boys have embarked on separation surgery in a hospital in Washington.

6 Sep 2006

Texas Medical Board adopts parental consent form

The Texas Medical Board last week adopted rules requiring physicians to gain written and notarized parental consent before performing an abortion on a minor, the Houston Chronicle reports (Ross Hughes, Houston Chronicle, 9/1).

5 Sep 2006

Endovascular repair of thoracic and abdominal aortic diseases as an alternative to open surgery in patients at high surgical risk

World Congress of Cardiology Report - Acute aortic syndromes, such as large thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms with impending rupture, complicated acute type B dissections, traumatic rupture of thoracic aorta, still represent life-threatening conditions.

5 Sep 2006

Venacavoscopy assisted inferior Vena cava thrombus resection for T3b/c renal cell carcinoma

Resection of intrahepatic and suprahepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombi associated with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) can be surgically demanding procedures that can involve multidisciplinary surgical teams.

5 Sep 2006