Clinical impact of FDG PET/CT in alimentary tract malignancies: an updated review.

The use of F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (PET/CT) is well established in the evaluation of alimentary tract malignancies. This review of the literature and demonstration of correlative images focuses on the current role of PET/CT in the diagnosis (including pathologic/clinical staging) and post-therapy follow-up of esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancers. PET/CT provides utility in the management of esophageal cancer, including detection of distant disease prior to resection.

Hip Pain in the Pre-Arthritic Patient: A Guide for the Primary Care Physician.

Adolescents and young adults (less than 30 years of age) with pre-arthritic hip pain constitute a diagnostic dilemma for the primary care physician. The most common underlying diagnoses range from benign muscle strains/joint sprains to stress reactions, insufficiency fractures, and tears involving the articular cartilage/labrum in the setting of femoroacetabular impingement, a hip shape abnormality that is present in up to 90% of this age group. Undetected or left untreated these seemingly innocuous disorders can result in significant loss of function and, in some cases, irreversible joint damage.

Primary Care Management of Plantar Fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis (PF) is present in 10% of the population and is the most common cause of plantar heel pain. PF is painful, can alter daily activities and presents as a sharp pain localized to the plantar foot and medial heel. The underlying etiology involves microtrauma to the plantar fascia, specifically at its insertion point on the calcaneus.

Primary Care Fall Risk Assessment for Elderly West Virginians.

West Virginia is ranked second nationally for the percent of its population 65 years of age. The elderly are especially susceptible to falls with fall risk increasing as age increases. Because falls are the number one cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality in the West Virginia elderly, evaluation of fall risk is a critical component of the patient evaluation in the primary care setting.

Delayed Pseudoaneurysm of the Popliteal Artery Following ACL Reconstruction.

Arterial complications following arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction of the knee are rare. Injuries to vascular structures around the knee have historically been reported more commonly, with reconstructive procedures occurring more posteriorly, such as posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction. The authors present a report of sequelae following a postoperative popliteal artery spasm in an 18-year-old female soccer player who underwent ACL reconstruction using an ipsilateral autologous hamstring graft along with a medial meniscal repair and developed immediate spasm of the popliteal artery responding to sustained balloon angioplasty.