Search

Social media enables the public sharing of information. With the recent emphasis on transparency and the open sharing of information between doctors and patients, the intersection of social media and healthcare is of particular interest. Twitter is currently the most popular form of social media used for healthcare communication; here, we examine the use of Twitter in medicine and specifically explore in what capacity using Twitter to share information on treatments and research has the potential to improve care. The sharing of information on Twitter can create a communicative and collaborative atmosphere for patients, physicians, and researchers and even improve quality of care. However, risks involved with using Twitter for healthcare discourse include high rates of misinformation, difficulties in verifying the credibility of sources, overwhelmingly high volumes of information available on Twitter, concerns about professionalism, and the opportunity cost of using physician time. Ultimately, the use of Twitter in healthcare can allow patients, healthcare professionals, and researchers to be more informed, but specific guidelines for appropriate use are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dialysis associated steal syndrome (DASS) is a relatively rare but debilitating complication of arteriovenous fistulas. While mild symptoms can be observed, if severe symptoms are left untreated, DASS can result in ulcerations and limb threatening ischemia. High-flow with resultant heart failure is another documented complication following dialysis access procedures. Historically, open surgical procedures have been the mainstay of therapy for both DASS as well as high-flow. These procedures included ligation, open surgical banding, distal revascularization-interval ligation, revascularization using distal inflow, and proximal invasion of arterial inflow. While effective, open surgical procedures and general anesthesia are preferably avoided in this high-risk population. Minimally invasive limited ligation endoluminal-assisted revision (MILLER) offers both a precise as well as a minimally invasive approach to treating both dialysis associated steal syndrome as well as high-flow with resultant heart failure. MILLER is not ideal for all DASS patients, particularly those with low-flow fistulas. We aim to briefly describe the open surgical therapies as well as review both the technical aspects of the MILLER procedure and the available literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are a subset of congenital vascular malformations (CVMs). They comprise abnormal connections between arterial and venous circulation; treatment approaches are dependent on the angioarchitecture of the AVM, specifically the number and arrangement of the feeder arteries and outflow veins. Various imaging modalities can be used to diagnose and plan treatment. Here we will review the use of transarterial approaches to treat AVMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-sectional imaging has become a critical aspect in the evaluation of arterial injuries. In particular, angiography using computed tomography (CT) is the imaging of choice. A variety of techniques and options are available when evaluating for arterial injuries. Techniques involve contrast bolus, various phases of contrast enhancement, multiplanar reconstruction, volume rendering, and maximum intensity projection. After the images are rendered, a variety of features may be seen that diagnose the injury. This article provides a general overview of the techniques, important findings, and pitfalls in cross sectional imaging of arterial imaging, particularly in relation to computed tomography. In addition, the future directions of computed tomography, including a few techniques in the process of development, is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutcracker syndrome (NS) refers to symptomatic compression of the left renal vein (LRV) between the abdominal aorta and superior mesenteric artery with potential symptoms including hematuria, proteinuria, left flank pain, and renal venous hypertension. No consensus diagnostic criteria exist to guide endovascular treatment. We aimed to evaluate the specificity of LRV compression to NS symptoms through a retrospective study including 33 NS and 103 control patients. The size of the patent lumen at point of compression and normal portions of the LRV were measured for all patients. Multiple logistic regression analyses (MLR) assessing impact of compression, body mass index (BMI), age, and gender on the likelihood of each symptom with NS were obtained. NS patients presented most commonly with abdominal pain (72.7%), followed by hematuria (57.6%), proteinuria (39.4%), and left flank pain (30.3%). These symptoms were more commonly seen than in the control group at 10.6, 11.7, 6.8, and 1.9%, respectively. The degree of LRV compression for NS was 74.5% and 25.2% for controls (p < 0.0001). Higher compression led to more hematuria (p < 0.0013), abdominal pain (p < 0.006), and more proteinuria (p < 0.002). Furthermore, the average BMI of NS patients was 21.4 and 27.2 for controls (p < 0.001) and a low BMI led to more abdominal pain (p < 0.005). These results demonstrate a strong correlation between the degree of LRV compression on imaging in diagnosing NS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines added thyroid lobectomy (TL) as the appropriate treatment for low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). We aimed to investigate the population-level factors that influence the utilization of TL., Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database was queried for all DTC patients fitting low-risk criteria as defined by the ATA. Trends in total thyroidectomy (TT) and TL were identified using a Cochrane-Armitage test. Multivariable logistic regression identified patient and socioeconomic characteristics associated with TL, and difference-in-difference analysis was used to control for secular trends over time., Results: A total of 43,526 patients with low-risk DTC were identified in the SEER database; 39,411 pre-2015 and 4115 post-2015. After 2015, TT continued to outnumber TL (76.2% vs 23.8%), although the rate of TL increased significantly (11.6% to 23.8%, P < 0.001). However, difference-in-difference analysis found that age > 55 (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.01-1.19, P < 0.001) and rurality (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.05-1.28, P < 0.001) were independently associated with TT. TL was associated with T1 disease (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.19, P  = 0.001)., Conclusion: Although the 2015 ATA guideline update led to an increase in TL for low-risk DTC, most patients still underwent TT. Age and neighborhood significantly impact the odds of receiving guideline-appropriate TL for low-risk DTC, especially for T2 disease., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the study reported., (© the author(s).)

Quadrilateral space syndrome (QSS) is a rare disorder characterized by axillary nerve and posterior humeral circumflex artery (PHCA) compression within the quadrilateral space. Impingement is most frequently due to trauma, fibrous bands, or hypertrophy of one of the muscular borders. Diagnosis can be complicated by the presence of concurrent traumatic injuries, particularly in athletes. Since many other conditions can mimic QSS, it is often a diagnosis of exclusion. Conservative treatment is often first trialed, including physical exercise modification, physical therapy, and therapeutic massage. In patients unrelieved by conservative measures, surgical decompression of the quadrilateral space may be indicated.