OB GYN News back issues from March 2006:
Watch & wait with small simple cysts.(Gynecology)
Mar 01, 2006; ... KAILUA KONA, HAWAII -- The proliferation of CT scans by internists and other physicians has brought an increasing number of incidental findings of post-menopausal ovarian cysts, Dr. William J. Hoskins said at a conference on obstetrics, gynecology, perinatal medicine, neonatology, and the ...
Contingent screen 'attractive option' for down detection: decreases need for second-trimester tests.(News)
Mar 01, 2006; ... MIAMI BEACH -- Contingent screening is an attractive option for prenatal detection of trisomy 21, Dr. Fergal Malone said at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. This screening method was analyzed using data from the First and Second Trimester Evaluation ...
Preterm labor test viable in real world environment.(Obstetrics)
Mar 01, 2006; ... MIAMI BEACH -- A rapid fetal fibronectin test safely and effectively predicts the likelihood of preterm labor in a private hospital setting, according to a presentation at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. "The value of the test is if it is negative, ...
Dexamethasone vs. betamethasone.(News)
Mar 01, 2006; ... MIAMI BEACH -- Prenatal dexamethasone is superior to betamethasone in its reduction of two major neonatal morbidity and mortality outcomes--intraventricular hemorrhage and periventricular leukomalacia--according to results of a randomized, double-blind study presented at the annual meeting ...
FDA revises package inserts to improve safety.(News)
Mar 01, 2006; ... Prescription drug package inserts will soon have a new format that U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials believe will reduce the risk of medical errors. A goal of the "major revisions" announced by the FDA is to prioritize warning information and provide user-friendly ...
NT of 4 mm or more warrants chorionic villus sampling.(News)(nuchal translucency)
Mar 01, 2006; ... MIAMI BEACH -- A nuchal translucency measurement of at least 4 mm identified during prenatal ultrasound screening for aneuploidy warrants immediate consideration of chorionic villus sampling, Dr. Fergal Malone reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. ...
Initial chemotherapy beneficial in epithelial ovarian cancer.(News)
Mar 01, 2006; ... ORLANDO -- Chemotherapy that is given before surgery improves optimal cytoreduction rates in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, a retrospective comparative study suggests. Most women with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer receive initial surgery followed by ...
A dwindling medical workforce.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
Mar 01, 2006; ... America is facing a major shortage of nurses and doctors, with no real solution in sight. For more than half a century, we have depended on foreign health professionals to satisfy our domestic requirements. U.S. medical and nursing schools have failed to respond to this need. It is ...
Is consumer-driven health care a good idea?(POINT / COUNTERPOINT)
Mar 01, 2006 ... It would benefit everyone in the end. In a consumer-driven market, price goes down and quality goes up, even if the average consumer is not expert about that product. How does that happen? Markets are shaped not by the average buyers, but the marginal ones, who are ...
'Do the logical thing' in managing preeclampsia.(Obstetrics)
Mar 01, 2006; ... KAILUA KONA, HAWAII -- Consider the worst thing that can happen when managing preeclampsia and then do the logical thing to avoid that outcome, Dr. Michael A. Belfort said at a conference on obstetrics, gynecology, perinatal medicine, neonatology, and the law. He highlighted ...
Medicolegal issues in preterm birth of multiples.(Obstetrics)
Mar 01, 2006; ... KAILUA KONA, HAWAII -- An important step in detecting preterm labor in a multifetal pregnancy is to increase the patient's awareness of contractions and pelvic pressure and the need to report these symptoms, Dr. Michael A. Belfort said. Most women who are pregnant for the first ...
VLBW multiples face greater mortality risk.(Obstetrics)
Mar 01, 2006; ... MIAMI BEACH -- Contrary to prior reports, very-low-birth-weight multiples have significantly greater morbidity and mortality than weight-matched singleton fetuses, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Researchers ...
Training, disclosures are key to lowering ultrasound legal risks.(Obstetrics)
Mar 01, 2006; ... KAILUA KONA, HAWAII -- Clinicians who offer fetal ultrasounds in their offices should ensure that those performing the scans are properly trained and that they explain to patients the limitations of the technology, to reduce the risk of being sued over ultrasound results, several speakers ...
3-D fetal ultrasound can help with counseling.(Obstetrics)
Mar 01, 2006; ... KAILUA KONA, HAWAII -- Three-dimensional ultrasound is less helpful for diagnosing fetal abnormalities than for counseling patients, Dr. Dolores H. Pretorius said at a conference on obstetrics, gynecology, perinatal medicine, neonatology, and the law. Always performed as an ...
Minor maternal trauma can be deadly for fetus.(Obstetrics)
Mar 01, 2006; ... KAILUA KONA, HAWAII -- Insignificant trauma to the mother may not be insignificant to the fetus, Dr. William G. Barsan said at a conference on obstetrics, gynecology, perinatal medicine, neonatology, and the law. Severe maternal injury is likely to lead to fetal loss in 40%-50% ...
Drops in use of valproate linked to fewer Australian birth defects.(Obstetrics)
Mar 01, 2006; ... WASHINGTON -- Decreased use of valproate to manage epilepsy during pregnancy in Australia has produced a corresponding drop in fetal malformations associated with the drug, Dr. Frank Vajda said at the joint annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society and the American Clinical ...
Gender may influence neuro outcome in ELBW infants.(Obstetrics)
Mar 01, 2006; ... SAN DIEGO -- Female gender in extremely-low-birth-weight infants has a positive influence on the neurodevelopmental outcome at 18-22 months, increasing the Bayley-II Mental Developmental Index scores by 8-10 points, Dr. Regina A. Gargus reported at the annual meeting of the Society for ...
Prophylactic surgery beneficial in Lynch syndrome.(Gynecology)
Mar 01, 2006; ... Prophylactic surgery may help to prevent gynecologic cancers in women with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, reported Dr. Kathleen M. Schmeler of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, and her associates. In a retrospective study of a cohort of ...
Monsel's paste after LEEP: good results, low cost.(Gynecology)(loop electrosurgical excision procedure)
Mar 01, 2006; ... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Monsel's paste produced less pain and worked faster than fulguration by a ball electrode in a randomized clinical trial comparing the two methods for achieving hemostasis after the loop electrosurgical excision procedure; the statistical advantages were not clinically ...
Good pregnancy rates seen after tubal surgery.(Gynecology)
Mar 01, 2006; ... SAN DIEGO -- Pregnancies in 51% of 155 women surveyed after laparoscopic tubal reconstructive surgery suggest a success rate comparable with that seen after laboratory to repair tubes, Dr. Liselotte Mettler said at an international congress of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. ...
MRI is more accurate for finding breast cancers.(Gynecology)
Mar 01, 2006; ... CHICAGO -- Magnetic resonance imaging done prior to treatment for breast cancer can reveal cancer missed by mammography and ultrasonography, yielding more accurate information about the extent of disease, according to a poster presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of ...
VTE risk tied to metastatic disease in breast Ca.(Gynecology)
Mar 01, 2006; ... SAN ANTONIO -- The incidence of venous thromboembolism in the year following breast cancer diagnosis is roughly 1%, Dr. Helen K. Chew reported at a breast cancer symposium sponsored by the Cancer Therapy and Research Center. That's a lower figure than previously reported in some ...
FDA approves first IV osteoporosis therapy.(Gynecology)
Mar 01, 2006; ... Last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved an injectable formulation of ibandronate, the first intravenous treatment for osteoporosis to become available and the first bisphosphonate administered once every 3 months. The approved dose is 3 mg, administered ...
Bisphosphonate compliance no better weekly than daily.(Gynecology)
Mar 01, 2006; ... NASHVILLE, TENN. -- Women with postmenopausal osteoporosis are no more likely to adhere to bisphosphonate therapy with weekly dosing than with daily dosing, according to data presented in a poster at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. In a ...
Tracking FSH annually said to help predict bone loss in perimenopause.(Gynecology)
Mar 01, 2006; ... Tracking follicle-stimulating hormone levels every year from premenopause onward can help predict bone loss during the menopausal transition, reported MaryFran R. Sowers, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and her associates. The researchers conducted what they ...
Alendronate beats risedronate in increasing BMD.(Gynecology)
Mar 01, 2006; ... SAN DIEGO -- Postmenopausal women with low bone density who received once-weekly alendronate 70 mg had significantly greater increases in bone mineral density and reductions in markers of bone turnover over a 2-year period, compared with those who received once-weekly risedronate 35 mg, ...
Childhood fracture history tied to low BMD, osteoporosis later.(Gynecology)
Mar 01, 2006; ... NASHVILLE, TENN. -- A history of fracture in childhood and adolescence may be a marker for osteoporosis later in life, suggest study findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. Girls with fractures have lower gains in bone ...
Triad components found in female high school athletes.(Gynecology)
Mar 01, 2006; ... A significant proportion of female high school athletes meet the criteria for one of three health disorders that comprise the female athlete triad syndrome, according to a cross-sectional study. Jeanne F. Nichols, Ph.D., of San Diego State University, and her colleagues reported ...
Panel issues landmark clinical guidelines for PAD.(Clinical Rounds)
Mar 01, 2006; ... Peripheral arterial disease affects 15-20 million Americans, but it is not being properly diagnosed or treated, according to the authors of new guidelines for the management of PAD. "Severe peripheral arterial disease is essentially an overlooked medical emergency in the United ...
Pregnancy problems may portend future stroke.(Clinical Rounds)
Mar 01, 2006; ... SAN DIEGO -- Certain pregnancy complications appear to be strongly associated with stroke later in life, offering a golden opportunity for early education and prevention efforts, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association. Dr. Monique V ....
Preop application of mupirocin cuts infections.(Clinical Rounds)
Mar 01, 2006; ... WASHINGTON -- Mupirocin ointment applied to the front of the nostrils before surgery may decolonize patients and reduce the incidence of surgical site infections from Staphylococcus aureus, said Dr. Trish M. Perl at the annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and ...
Prosthetic heart valves raise pregnancy risks: the complications may be preventable and suggest a need for specialized care and close monitoring.(Clinical Rounds)
Mar 01, 2006; ... DALLAS -- Pregnancy in women with a prosthetic heart valve was associated with a high risk of maternal and fetal complications, according to findings in a study in Brazil with 70 women and 86 pregnancies. But some complications may be preventable. Maternal complications were ...
Pheochromocytoma in pregnancy often missed.(Clinical Rounds)
Mar 01, 2006; ... BETHESDA, MD. -- With timely diagnosis and treatment, the prognosis can be good for women with pheochromocytoma during pregnancy, Dr. Henri Timmers said at an international symposium on pheochromocytoma sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. In his conclusion, based on ...
Bill halts 4.4% Medicare cut.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
Mar 01, 2006; ... Congress' long-awaited passage of the budget reconciliation package put a freeze on a 4.4% cut Medicare physicians experienced in the month of January. While the congressional action stopped any further reductions to payments, it did not increase Medicare physician pay for 2006. The ...
President's health care agenda.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
Mar 01, 2006; ... The federal government has a responsibility to provide health care for the poor and the elderly, as well as confront its rising costs, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, and help people afford insurance coverage, President Bush said in his State of the Union Address. Medical ...
Courts overturn Partial Birth Ban again.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
Mar 01, 2006; ... Federal appeals courts in California and New York recently upheld lower court rulings that the "Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003" is unconstitutional. In the New York case, the court ruled that the ban must contain an exception for the health of the woman and asked for additional ...
Kansas court backs abortion privacy.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
Mar 01, 2006; ... Reproductive rights groups are claiming victory in Kansas after the state's Supreme Court ruled that all patient-identifying information must be removed before medical records can be reviewed by a local district court as part of an investigation launched by the state's attorney general ....
CVD awareness by women rises.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
Mar 01, 2006; ... More women are aware of cardiovascular disease, and that knowledge is causing them to take positive preventive health steps for themselves and family members, according to a recent study published in the journal Circulation. A survey of more than 1,000 women aged 25 and older found that ...
Tips for securing your financial future.(THE REST OF YOUR LIFE)
Mar 01, 2006; ... For as long as he can remember, Dr. Robert M. Doroghazi has been prudent with money. "It was difficult to come by," said Dr. Doroghazi, who was raised in Granite City, Ill., as the son of a steelworker. At age 8, he began to earn an income by helping his father mow ...
Climara Pro indicated for osteoporosis.(PRODUCTS)
Mar 01, 2006 ... Climara Pro (estradiol/levonorgestrel 0.045/0.015 mg/day) Transdermal System is indicated for the prevention of post-menopausal ...
Prevent chemotherapy nausea.(PRODUCTS)
Mar 01, 2006 ... Emend (aprepitant) has been approved for use with other antiemetic medicines for the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with initial and ...
Permanent hair reduction.(PRODUCTS)
Mar 01, 2006 ... The Starlux Pulsed Light and Laser System delivers permanent hair reduction without having to grow out hair between treatments. The system offers ...
Venlafaxine HCl for panic disorder.(PRODUCTS)
Mar 01, 2006 ... Effexor XR (venlafaxine HCl) is indicated for treatment of adults with long- and short-term panic ...
New maternal/fetal monitors.(PRODUCTS)
Mar 01, 2006 ... The Avalon FM20 antepartum and Avalon FM30 intrapartum fetal and maternal monitors can be used to monitor multiple births and include a feature to reduce the ...
Generic oxycodone approved.(PRODUCTS)
Mar 01, 2006 ... Oxycodone extended release tablets (10 mg, 20 mg, and 40 mg) are indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe pain when continuous analgesia is needed for an extended ...
Femara approved as initial Tx.(PRODUCTS)
Mar 01, 2006 ... Femara (letrozole) is indicated as a treatment for use after surgery in post-menopausal women with hormone-sensitive early breast cancer (adjuvant setting). For ...
Info for seniors on osteoporosis.(FYI)
Mar 01, 2006 ... The NIHSeniorHealth Web site has added information about the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. The descriptions include risk ...
Heart health brochure for women.(FYI)
Mar 01, 2006 ... The National Women's Health Resource Center has put out a new educational brochure to educate women about the treatment of ...
Prenatal screening.
Mar 01, 2006; ... There was a time when pregnancy and its outcome were clouded in mystery, when fetal outcome was known only at birth. Over many years, that mystery has dissipated as an evolution of technological developments occurred, eventually leading to the discipline of prenatal diagnosis. ...
Let's incorporate first-trimester screening into obstetric practice.(MASTER CLASS)
Mar 01, 2006; ... We are in the midst of a significant shift in our approach to prenatal screening for Down syndrome and other major chromosomal abnormalities. We now know, without doubt, that first-trimester screening that combines maternal serum free [beta]-human chorionic gonadotropin and ...
Physicians on call: count the ways.(Obstetrics)
Mar 15, 2006; ... For ob.gyn. Susan Lacy, being on call was a challenge. With four young children at home, it's difficult for her to work overnight and come home at 8 a.m., just as her family starts its day. But innovative thinking by her practice partners--and similar thinking among ob.gyns ....
Risk dwarfs benefit in WHI review of hormone therapy: HT is for select clinical situations only.(News)
Mar 15, 2006; ... BETHESDA, MD. -- In retrospect, perhaps the most startling thing about the hormone therapy study of the Women's Health Initiative was how wrong most experts had been beforehand about the benefits of estrogen in postmenopausal women. Before the study, some had questioned the ...
Single-layer closure may raise rupture risk later.
Mar 15, 2006; ... MIAMI BEACH -- Single-layer closure from a prior cesarean delivery increases risk of symptomatic uterine rupture in a subsequent trial of labor, compared with double-layer closure, Dr. Martine Goyet said at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Dr. Goyet ...
Early results of two Ortho Evra patch safety studies are mixed.(News)
Mar 15, 2006; ... Preliminary results from two large ongoing epidemiologic studies evaluating the safety of the Ortho Evra contraceptive patch provided conflicting data on whether the risk of thrombotic events might be greater with the patch than with oral contraceptive pills. Last month, the ...
Prescription: 'a dose of reality'.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 15, 2006; ... I applaud Dr. Jerold J. Kreisman for his commentary on the relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry ("Defending the Drug Man," Guest Editorial, Jan. 15, 2006, p. 9). I'm so sick of hearing how I should keep away from anything that even resembles ...
Don't blame the pharm reps.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 15, 2006; ... Kudos to Dr. Jerold J. Kreisman for taking the politically incorrect view in defense of pharmaceutical representatives ("Defending the Drug Man," Guest Editorial, Jan. 15, 2006, p. 9). One function of pharm reps is to convince us docs to prescribe brand-name drugs to our ...
The crux of clinical trials.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 15, 2006; ... Dr. David Orentlicher and Dr. Thomas Kintanar tackled a provocative topic, but missed some important points ("Should patients be required to take part in comparative clinical trials?" Pro & Con, Nov. 15, 2005, p. 5). Refusal by eligible subjects to participate is only one ...
Drugs, pregnancy, and lactation: valproic acid.(Obstetrics)
Mar 15, 2006; ... For more than 20 years, the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) associated with first-trimester exposure to valproic acid has been well known: The estimated risk is 2%, about 10- to 20-fold higher than the baseline risk. With more widespread use of valproic acid, partly due to increasing ...
AFP testing is expensive, now largely obsolete.(Obstetrics)
Mar 15, 2006; ... MIAMI BEACH -- Maternal serum [alpha]-fetoprotein is no longer an effective or cost-effective second-trimester screen for neural tube defects in an era when women routinely undergo first-trimester Down syndrome screening and subsequent ultrasound, Dr. Todd J. Rosen said at the annual ...
Herpes hepatitis: timely diagnosis can be lifesaving.(Obstetrics)
Mar 15, 2006; ... HONOLULU -- The diagnosis of herpes simplex hepatitis in pregnancy is one that simply can't afford to be missed, Dr. Eileen Hay said at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. That's because treatment with acyclovir or vidarabine is lifesaving--and ...
Antiretroviral timing in pregnancy is tricky.(Obstetrics)
Mar 15, 2006; ... SAN FRANCISCO -- The optimal time to initiate antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy depends on a balance of factors, Dr. Deborah Cohan said at a meeting on HIV management sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco. The primary goal is viral suppression by the ...
Medical Tx rivals surgery in chronic pelvic pain.(Gynecology)
Mar 15, 2006; ... ORLANDO -- Women with chronic pelvic pain responded as well to medical treatment as they did to surgery, according to a prospective, observational cohort study of 370 patients that was carried out 1 year after treatment, Dr. Georgine Lamvu said at the annual meeting of the South Atlantic ...
Excision of lesions may improve sexual function.(Gynecology)
Mar 15, 2006; ... CHICAGO -- Laparoscopic excision of endometriotic lesions of the uterosacral ligament improves not only deep dyspareunia but also the quality of patients' sex life, Dr. Simone Ferrero said at the annual meeting of the AAGL (formerly the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists). ...
High-dose statin may not be enough to protect acute coronary patients.(Gynecology)
Mar 15, 2006; ... STOCKHOLM -- Patients with acute coronary syndrome who are treated with a high-dose statin and other standard medications still have a high, 13% rate of cardiac events during follow-up, which suggests a need for more interventions to further lower event rates. "Patients are not ...
Bone marrow micrometastases predict Ca risk.(Gynecology)
Mar 15, 2006; ... SAN ANTONIO -- The presence of disseminated tumor cells in bone marrow at initial diagnosis of nonmetastatic breast cancer independently predicted a greater than twofold increased relative risk of overall mortality and other end points in a pooled analysis of 4,703 patients, Dr. Stephan ...