More articles from Review
- Primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute MI: Improving access and outcomes
Patients have a better chance of surviving an acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction if they undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) rather than fibrinolytic therapy. Studies have addressed ways to improve PCI and to make it more accessible.
- Migraine aura without headache: Benign, but a diagnosis of exclusion
Migraine aura can occur alone, without being followed by a headache, but it should be diagnosed only when transient ischemic attack and seizure disorders have been excluded.
- Respiratory disorders in neurologic diseases
Pulmonary complications often arise late in the course of neurologic diseases. Common principles apply in their management.
- Intravascular ultrasonography: Using imaging end points in coronary atherosclerosis trials
Intravascular ultrasonography can precisely measure plaque and is being used to test new drug therapies. Other imaging tests may also prove useful to identify people at risk for coronary artery disease and to monitor treatment.
Genetics and cardiomyopathy: Where are we now?Genetic discoveries have changed our understanding of the cardiomyopathies but are only beginning to change our clinical practice.
- Diabetic retinopathy: Treating systemic conditions aggressively can save sight
To control diabetic retinopathy, we need not only to detect it promptly, but also to manage common systemic comorbid conditions such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, anemia, obstructive sleep apnea, and smoking—all of which tend to accelerate its course and increase its severity.
- When is facial paralysis Bell palsy? Current diagnosis and treatment
Bell palsy is largely a diagnosis of exclusion, but certain features distinguish it from facial paralysis due to other conditions.
- Recognizing and intervening in intimate partner violence
Intimate partner violence is as at least common as many conditions for which we routinely screen. Yet it remains underdiagnosed and undertreated.
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation: Treat the cause, not the lab values
Therapy directed at laboratory manifestations of DIC often will not change the course of the illness. It is important to recognize and treat the underlying cause, eg, trauma, cancer, infection, or obstetric catastrophe.
- Preventing ischemic stroke: Choosing the best strategy
Do statins prevent stroke? Which antithrombotic drugs are best? What is the best way to treat carotid stenosis?
