Pleomorphic giant cell adenocarcinoma of the prostate: report of 6 cases.

Pleomorphic tumors with giant cells have been described in a variety of primary sites. However, only a few cases have been described among prostatic carcinomas with only 1 on diagnostic biopsy material. Five cases were retrieved from the consultation files of one of the authors.

Anatomic pathology databases and patient safety.

Context: The utility of anatomic pathology discrepancies has not been rigorously studied.

Objective: To outline how databases may be used to study anatomic pathology patient safety.

Design: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality funded the creation of a national anatomic pathology errors database to establish benchmarks for error frequency.

Interobserver variability in the fine needle aspiration biopsy diagnosis of follicular lesions of the thyroid gland.

Objective: To study the degree of interobserver variability in the interpretation of fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies of the thyroid, specifically in the categorization of follicular lesions (FLs), and to examine the accuracy of FNA diagnosis of FLs with surgical follow-up.

Study Design: Fifty cases were chosen with surgical follow-up and a cytologic diagnosis of either FL (21) or follicular neoplasms (29). Representative slides were selected for each case and circulated to 4 pathologists for review.

Paramedian forehead flap reconstruction for nasal defects.

Background: The paramedian forehead flap is the ultimate reconstructive method for repair of extensive nasal defects. Changes in technique have resulted in the evolution of the modern-day forehead flap, which is a streamlined, efficient, reliable flap that can be counted on to provide superior function and cosmesis in the reconstruction of large nasal defects.

Objective: Consistent success in the execution of a forehead flap hinges on a careful stepwise approach to the defect, the patient, and the surgical technique.

History and current status of endovascular management for the extracranial carotid and supra-aortic vessels.

Few procedures in the history of medicine have been more controversial than carotid artery stenting (CAS) for the management of carotid artery occlusive disease. Introduced just as the randomized trials were establishing carotid endarterectomy as the gold standard for carotid interventions, CAS has finally reached the point in its development when dedicated stenting systems are being tested in randomized clinical trials. Assisted by the concomitant use of distal protection devices, CAS has shown equipoise with endarterectomy in terms of safety at 30 days.

Improving patient safety by examining pathology errors.

A considerable void exists in the information available regarding anatomic pathology diagnostic errors and their impact on clinical outcomes. To fill this void and improve patient safety, four institutional pathology departments (University of Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania Hospital, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and Henry Ford Hospital System) have proposed the development of a voluntary, Web-based, multi-institutional database for the collection and analysis of diagnostic errors. These institutions intend to use these data proactively to implement internal changes in pathology practice and to measure the effect of such changes on errors and clinical outcomes.

U.S. and Canadian internal medicine clerkship directors' opinions about teaching procedural and interpretive skills to medical students.

Purpose: Although medical students gain experience in performing procedures during their clinical clerkships, which skills they should acquire remains unclear. The authors sought opinions from internal medicine clerkship directors regarding procedural and interpretive skills students should and do learn during clerkships.

Method: In 2002, the 123 members of the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM) were confidentially surveyed using a 79-item questionnaire about the appropriateness of 20 procedural skills, demographics, clerkship characteristics, and curricula in procedural skills.

Viral hepatitis: sports-related risk.

Each year, viral hepatitis causes substantial morbidity and mortality in the general population. Most athletes who contract viral hepatitis become exposed away from the playing field. However, close contact with team members and the sharing of food and drink may increase the likelihood of spreading enteric forms of viral hepatitis, and a small risk of sports-related transmission of hepatitis B and C virus exists.

Utility of measuring 6-methylmercaptopurine and 6-thioguanine nucleotide levels in managing inflammatory bowel disease patients treated with 6-mercaptopurine in a clinical practice setting.

Background: Measuring levels of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) metabolites (6-thioguanine nucleotides [6-TGNs] and 6-methylmercaptopurine [6-MMP]) has been proposed as a method to adjust 6-MP dose to optimize therapeutic response while minimizing toxicity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. A 6-TGN level of >230 pmol/8 x 108 red blood cells (RBCs) has been reported to be associated with a higher efficacy rate, and a level of >450 pmol/8 x 108 RBCs has been reported to be associated with myelotoxicity. A 6-MMP level of >5,700 pmol/8 x 108 RBCs has been reported to be associated with an increased frequency of abnormal results of liver function tests (LFTs).

B-type natriuretic peptide testing for detection of heart failure.

The incidence of heart failure (HF) is on the increase with the aging population. Heart failure can manifest as either systolic or diastolic dysfunction. Systolic dysfunction causes impaired ventricular contractility with an ejection fraction of less than 45%.

Cerebral protection systems for distal emboli during carotid artery interventions.

Carotid angioplasty and stenting is associated with liberation of cerebral emboli that can cause periprocedural stroke. There are currently three classes of emboli protection devices (EPDs) that are undergoing feasibility studies and one randomized clinical trial. Preliminary data from a small series appear to be promising, and there appears to be attenuation of embolic signals on a cerebral Doppler exam with EPD use.

Preliminary study of ciprofloxacin in active Crohn's disease.

Based on limited reports of the successful use of antibiotics in the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD) and on the possibility that intestinal bacteria may be one of the etiologic factors playing a role in the pathogenesis of this condition, we undertook a study to evaluate the use of a broad-spectrum antibiotic in CD. Our team studied the efficacy of adding the antibiotic ciprofloxacin to the treatment of moderately active, but resistant cases of CD. Forty-seven adults with moderately active CD were randomly assigned treatment with ciprofloxacin 500 mg twice daily versus placebo twice daily for 6 months.

Knee braces: current evidence and clinical recommendations for their use.

Methods of preventing and treating knee injuries have changed with the rapid development and refinement of knee braces. Prophylactic knee braces are designed to protect uninjured knees from valgus stresses that could damage the medial collateral ligaments. However, no conclusive evidence supports their effectiveness, and they are not recommended for regular use.

Aspirin, ticlopidine, and clopidogrel in acute coronary syndromes: underused treatments could save thousands of lives.

Aspirin is the cornerstone of therapy for unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction and the foundation on which other therapies are added, both in the short term and the long term. Yet, despite clear data, aspirin is woefully underused or is often used late. Prompt administration of aspirin could save thousands of lives each year.

Comparison of ketorolac-chlorpromazine with meperidine-promethazine for treatment of exacerbations of chronic pain.

Background: The aim was to compare the efficacy and safety of a combination of intramuscular ketorolac and chlorpromazine for the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic pain with the more commonly used regimen of intramuscular meperidine and promethazine.

Methods: Use-effective case series were drawn from a real-life, rural emergency department practice, in which 200 consecutive patients coming to a rural emergency department with acute exacerbations of chronic pain syndromes were assigned on an every-other basis in a single-blind fashion to one of the two treatment conditions. Patients were given intramuscular doses of either 60 mg of ketorolac plus 50 mg of chlorpromazine (75 mg of chlorpromazine for patients weighing more than 100 kg), or 50 mg of meperidine plus 25 mg of promethazine (50 mg of promethazine for patients weighing more than 75 kg); patients weighing more than 100 kg were given 1.

Femoral and obturator neuropathies.

Femoral, saphenous, and obturator neuropathies have diverse causes, many of which are iatrogenic. They have overlapping, but distinct, clinical features. Electrodiagnostic testing can distinguish between these disorders and others in the differential diagnosis.

The somatizing patient.

Somatization is the experience of physical symptoms in response to emotional distress. It is common, costly, and frustrating to both the patient and physician. Successful treatment of somatization requires the physician to pursue a positive diagnosis rather than rely on a diagnosis of exclusion.

The managed care revolution: how medical technologists have tolerated the change.

A repeated cross-sectional study on the psychological profiles and interpersonal styles of highly stressed medical technologists (perfusionists) has found remarkable consistency in internal psychological profiles and differences in interpersonal dynamics over a 6-year period. Six years ago a longitudinal study was begun to track the psychological profiles of perfusionists. Surgeons can repair cardiac defects only after a beating heart has been stopped.

The Otto Aufranc Award. Image guided navigation system to measure intraoperatively acetabular implant alignment.

There has been little clinical research to examine the effects of patient positioning and pelvic motion on the alignment of the acetabular implant during total hip replacement surgery. Until now, no tools were capable of accurately measuring these variables during the actual procedure. As part of a broader program in medical robotics and computer assisted surgery, a clinical system has been developed that includes several enabling technologies.

Use of coronary artery stents in the treatment of internal carotid artery stenosis at the base of the skull.

The management of high-grade stenosis involving the petrosal segment of the internal carotid artery has been limited to angioplasty alone in the past. However, if angioplasty fails or has less than optimum results, then endovascular stent placement should be considered. We present the first two known cases in which the Multi-Link coronary stent was used for the treatment of internal carotid disease in the petrosal segment.

Computer assisted measurement of cup placement in total hip replacement.

The introduction of image guided systems in total hip replacement surgery provides the ability to plan precisely the alignment of the acetabular cup before surgery, and to perform the surgery according to the preoperative plan. Preoperative planners (interactive computer programs for surgical planning) based on three-dimensional medical images allow planning of optimal placement of implant components based on simulated implant performance. Exact measurement of the cup position during surgery allows precise placement of the cup and accurate measurement of the final position of the cup relative to the pelvis.