Table of Contents
From the Editor
- Polymyalgia rheumatica: Not well understood, but important to consider
Its cause and pathogenesis remain unknown, but it may be accompanied by giant cell arteritis, which must be recognized and treated as a medical emergency.
0710457
- Mypatienthaselevated prolactinand infertility, but normal periods and a negative pituitary study
Prolactin comes in different sizes. We should consider a diagnosis of macroprolactinemia before embarking on a series of potentially unnecessary and expensive tests and treatments.
Review
The challenge of valvular heart disease: When is it time to operate?Performed too soon, surgery needlessly exposes a patient to operative risks, but inappropriate delay may lead to cardiac damage and worse long-term outcome.
Cardiovascular Board Review
- Cardiac sarcoidosis: A cause of infiltrative cardiomyopathy
A 52-year-old man is having frequent episodes of ventricular tachycardia. How should he be treated?
Medical Grand Rounds
- Polymyalgia rheumatica: Clinical presentation is key to diagnosis and treatment
Diagnosing polymyalgia rheumatica can be likened to the saying, “If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck.”
Review
- Fecal-based DNA assays: A new, noninvasive approach to colorectal cancer screening
Most Americans forgo any kind of colorectal cancer screening, although it it is proven to save lives. Fecal-based DNA testing may be an alternative for those who otherwise would not be screened.
- An appropriate diagnostic workup for suspected vascular birthmarks
Some birthmarks can represent significant vascular anomalies that require a diagnostic workup and treatment.
- Gynecomastia: Its features, and when and how to treat it
Gynecomastia is common and usually benign, though often distressing. Causes are many.
