Detectability and surgical outcomes in parathyroid surgery - a single-centre experience.

The incidence of primary hyperparathyroidismand referrals for the removal of parathyroid adenomas are increasing. Factors that improve the detectability, and ultimately the surgical outcome, are the focus of this retrospective study. We included 117 patients who had parathyroid operations with intraoperative monitoring of parathyroid hormone (PTH).

A woman with familial partial lipodystrophy and the complications of her four pregnancies.

We discuss a case of a woman ultimately diagnosed with familial partial lipodystrophy following her fourth pregnancy. In her previous pregnancies she had numerous complications thought to be related to diabetes including recurrent macrosomia and polyhydramnios. In her second pregnancy she underwent emergency caesarean section for fetal tachycardia at 34 weeks' gestation.

Multimodality palliative treatment of (111)In-pentetreotide negative/(123)I-MIBG positive metastatic carcinoid - a case report.

Patients with carcinoid tumours frequently present with metastatic disease. There are only a few therapeutic options for these patients, and the main goal of palliative treatment is to reduce symptoms and thus to improve quality of life. Current therapy includes surgical resection, hepatic artery embolisation, chemotherapy and somatostatin analogue treatment; however, all these options have limitations.

Maternal transmission of diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus represents a heterogeneous group of conditions characterized by impaired glucose homeostasis. The disorder runs in families but the mechanism underlying this is unknown. Many, but not all, studies have suggested that mothers are excessively implicated in the transmission of the disorder.

Abnormal serum free thyroid hormone levels due to heparin administration.

Fractionated or unfractionated heparin may produce artefactual elevation in measured concentrations of free thyroid hormones. Although the specific cause is unknown, it may be a consequence of displacement of thyroid hormones from their binding sites by free fatty acids liberated in vitro. We describe four cases of heparin-induced abnormalities in free thyroid hormone measurements where some diagnostic confusion was generated.

Evaluation of a computer-generated discharge summary for patients with acute coronary syndromes.

The discharge summary from hospital to community physician contributes importantly to patient management, but deficiencies in its preparation are well documented. We sought to determine the preferences of general practitioners for standard dictated or computer-generated discharge summaries for patients with acute coronary syndromes. The majority (68.

Comparison of case fatality in south Asian and white patients after acute myocardial infarction: observational study.

Objective: To compare mortality in south Asian (Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi) and white patients in the six months after hospital admission for acute myocardial infarction.

Design: Observational study.

Setting: District general hospital in east London.

Prognosis in acute myocardial infarction: comparison of patients with diagnostic and nondiagnostic electrocardiograms.

Prognosis in acute myocardial infarction has been compared in patients with and without diagnostic ECGs. Of 817 patients, 89.4% had ST elevation, 2.

Acute myocardial infarction in women: survival analysis in first six months.

Objective: To examine the influence that being female has on the outcome of acute myocardial infarction.

Design: Observational follow up study.

Setting: London district general hospital.