September 15, 2009

Providing recommendations for safe and healthy travel without unnecessarily alarming patients is a balancing act best performed by a thorough assessment of patient- and destination-specific risks.

The number of U.S. adults with congenital heart disease is increasing. Proper evaluation of this disease requires accurate assessment of intra- and extracardiac anatomy. Chest radiography and echocardiography are first-line imaging modalities, but magnetic resonance imaging and…

Ovarian cancer may occur at any age, although it is more common in women older than 50 years. Patients often present with nonspecific pelvic or abdominal pain. Transvaginal ultrasonography and cancer antigen 125 measurement may assist with the diagnosis. Conventional treatment…

Chest tenderness caused by costochondritis is elicited by palpation of costochondral junctions. It is a self-limited condition that should be distinguished from other causes of chest pain upon diagnosis, which involves history and examination and, for certain patients…

Can the San Francisco Syncope Rule successfully determine which patients can be safely discharged after an acute syncopal episode? External validation suggests that the sensitivity of the rule is lower than first reported. Physicians need to apply their clinical acumen and…

H1N1 Vaccine Production Lags Behind Goal, ACIP Revises Priority Recommendations | Medical Groups Press Health Insurers for Coverage of Tobacco Cessation Therapy | CMS Medical Home Demonstration Project Still Awaits Final Approval | Stimulus Funds Help Community Health Centers…

What are the effects of treatments in women with polycystic ovary syndrome?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening adolescents, adults, and pregnant women for illicit drug use.

Case study: An 18-year-old woman visits your office for routine prenatal care. She is in the first trimester of pregnancy and has had no notable medical problems. The physical examination is normal, and she expresses no concerns.

Every year, 25,000 women in the United States (about one in 3,000 women older than 40 years) receive ovarian cancer diagnoses, and 14,000 die of the disease. Risk factors for ovarian cancer include family history of ovarian cancer, personal history of breast cancer, obesity…

Photo Quiz presents readers with a clinical challenge based on a photograph or other image.

The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) updated its recommendations on screening for colorectal cancer in 2008, and continues to support colonoscopy in average-risk patients every 10 years based on the evidence of effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and patient acceptance.

Costochondritis (koss-toe-con-DRY-tiss) is an inflammation in your rib cage where cartilage connects the ribs to the breastbone (sternum). It is also called chest wall pain or costosternal (koss-toe-STIR-null) syndrome. The main symptom is pain in the chest wall. The pain is…

It is a type of cancer that grows in a woman's ovaries, which are two walnut-sized glands in the pelvis that produce eggs. Ovarian cancer is rare, but it can be life threatening. Risk factors include obesity, never having given birth, and taking hormone therapy after menopause…