Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Telemedicine Preoperative Evaluation Initiative at a Major Academic Medical Center.

Background: With health care practice consolidation, the increasing geographic scope of health care systems, and the advancement of mobile telecommunications, there is increasing interest in telemedicine-based health care consultations. Anesthesiology has had experience with telemedicine consultation for preoperative evaluation since 2004, but the majority of studies have been conducted in rural settings. There is a paucity of literature of use in metropolitan areas.

Financial implications of telemedicine visits in an academic endocrine surgery program.

Background: Telemedicine is an emerging medium for the delivery of ambulatory care, but the reimbursement profile of telemedicine visits in the surgical setting has not been well studied.

Methods: A retrospective assessment of telemedicine encounters for thyroid and parathyroid conditions occurring from April 2015 to April 2017 was performed. Financial reimbursement from commercial payers for new and established patient visits were compared between telemedicine visits and in-person visits.

Individualizing Surgery in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Based on a Detailed Sonographic Assessment of Extrathyroidal Extension.

Background: Lobectomy may be sufficient for patients with intrathyroidal papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) <4 cm without nodal metastasis. Based on the 2015 American Thyroid Association guidelines, a strategy using ultrasound to identify appropriate candidates for lobectomy was implemented.

Methods: Patients with Bethesda V or VI cytology who underwent surgery for PTC (January 2016 to May 2017) were retrospectively reviewed.

ROCK Inhibition Promotes Attachment, Proliferation, and Wound Closure in Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Pigmented Epithelium.

Purpose: Nonexudative (dry) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the elderly, is associated with the loss of retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) cells and the development of geographic atrophy, which are areas devoid of RPE cells and photoreceptors. One possible treatment option would be to stimulate RPE attachment and proliferation to replace dying/dysfunctional RPE and bring about wound repair. Clinical trials are underway testing injections of RPE cells derived from pluripotent stem cells to determine their safety and efficacy in treating AMD.

ROCK Inhibition Extends Passage of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Pigmented Epithelium.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) offer a potentially unlimited supply of cells for emerging cell-based therapies. Unfortunately, the process of deriving distinct cell types can be time consuming and expensive. In the developed world, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly, with more than 7.