Diagnostic Imaging

Right leg pain after a fall in a patient with a prosthesis

, May 23, 2012

A 28-year-old female with a history of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and knee and hip arthroplasty experiences pain after accidentally twisting her right leg.
 

Dullness to percussion over the right lung base

April 27, 2012

This elderly man's phlegm- and blood-producing cough and chest pain were a cause for concern.
 

Pericarditis

, April 23, 2012

In this month's Interpreting ECGs, the authors discuss the changes on ECG when inflammation of the pericardial sac occurs.
 

Gradual onset of left-sided temporal headache and ptosis

, Dakshinamurty Gullapalli, MD; Chintan Shah, MD; Eric McGraw, MD April 12, 2012

Glaucoma limited this patient's vision, but new symptoms limited to his left side had more to do with his ocular muscles.
 

The pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of proteinuria

April 02, 2012

Routine testing has led to more frequent identification of proteinuria, and PAs need an 
approach that will distinguish benign forms from disease requiring treatment.
 

ECG changes from medications

, March 12, 2012

The use of various medications can cause characteristic changes on ECG. This month, the authors describe how to recognize several of these findings.
 

Hypothermia

, February 15, 2012

This month, the authors review the ECG changes characteristic of hypothermia.
 

Chromosomal microarray testing

, January 30, 2012

CMA testing of children with autism, intellectual impairment, or multiple congenital anomalies detects clinically significant chromosomal deletions and duplications that are not visible by routine chromosome studies.
 

A different kind of headache in a patient with migraines

, January 19, 2012

Magnetic resonance venography is the definitive imaging modality for this unusual condition, but MRI is also performed to identify other abnormalities in the brain.
 

Myocardial infarction on ECG

, James F. Ginter, MPAS, PA-C January 16, 2012

In this installment, the authors discuss how to interpret and diagnose myocardial infarction (MI) on an ECG.
 

Lingering knee pain in a young football player

December 23, 2011

The earliest symptoms were mild swelling and minor instability first diagnosed as knee strain, but continuing pain demanded consultation with a pediatric orthopedist.
 

Atypical manifestations of a 
potentially fatal infection

, , Joseph M. Candelario, FNP-BC December 21, 2011

Four clinicians agreed on the diagnosis of left inguinal hernia, but CT scans proved all of them wrong.
 

Myocardial ischemia

, December 14, 2011

When there is not a sufficient oxygen supply to meet the body's demand, myocardial ischemia occurs. Abnormalities in the ST segment are diagnostic of this condition.
 

Rhinocerebral mucormycosis: A rare fungal infection linked to diabetes

, December 05, 2011

Although usually prevented by the immune system, this disease is common in patients who are immunocompromised. As in this case, early detection and treatment are key.
 

Sudden onset of confusion and visual disturbances

, , Urvi R. Shah, MD November 22, 2011

An advanced MRI technique clinches the diagnosis after it detects cerebral lesions not seen on conventional MRI.
 

Electrolyte abnormalities on ECG

, November 16, 2011

The authors review the characteristic changes that hypercalcemia, hyperkalemia, hypokalemia, and other serum electrolyte abnormalities can cause on an ECG.
 

Impaired vision along with a headache in an elderly man

, Taral R. Sharma, MD, MBA; Dennis G. Duncan; Urvi R. Shah, MD October 28, 2011

An otherwise healthy man with a history of otitis media presents with a worsening headache and visual disturbances for the past week.
 

Tachycardia and an enlarged cardiac silhouette in an adolescent male

, P. Nelson Le, MD, FAAP October 24, 2011

An 18-year-old with a complicated history presents with a worsening upper respiratory tract infection. A chest radiograph identified a severe heart condition as the cause.
 

What's new in emergency medicine
: The utility of bedside ultrasonography

October 20, 2011

Bedside ultrasonography has advanced the practice of emergency medicine, allowing physicians to establish prompt diagnoses and even improve patient outcomes.
 

Ventricular fibrillation

, October 14, 2011

An unsteady baseline and a very irregular QRS segment are highly indicative of ventricular fibrillation.
 

A case of confabulation and abnormal eye movements

, Bush Kavuru, MD; Joseph W. Iskandar, DO; Ashley Coffman; Kelly Johnson September 23, 2011

An emergency department team works to determine the cause of this patient's recurrent nausea, vomiting, and failure to thrive.
 

Pain and chronic diarrhea 
in an elderly cancer patient

, John E. Poulos, MD; Thomas H. Daignault, PA-C; Leroy Roberts, MD August 19, 2011

A patient with a history significant for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among other conditions presents with increased bowel movements, diarrhea, and severe abdominal pain.
 

Vaginal bleeding, suprapubic cramping, and blood clots in a female patient

, Michael H. Stella, MD; Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH July 26, 2011

A patient with a history of two cesarean sections and one therapeutic abortion presented after she passed several small blood clots and experienced cramping over the past hour.
 

Acute left elbow deformity following a fall on the hand

July 22, 2011

Following a fall on an outstretched hand, an elderly patient presents with obvious deformity and limited range of motion caused by guarding.
 

Preexcitation syndromes

, July 12, 2011

Accessory pathways in the heart that allow electrical impulses to go around the atrioventricular node can result in atrial fibrillation or other arrhythmias.
 

Pain in a patient's pelvis and hip following a car accident

, Jason Kim, MD; Denise Rizzolo, PA-C, PHD June 21, 2011

After being struck by a car 2 days earlier, the patient could still walk but had pain in the pelvis and hip.
 

Interpreting the ECG of a patient with a pacemaker

, June 14, 2011

Pacemakers leave their signatures on an ECG. Here's how to recognize them.
 

Wireless capsule endoscopy in the 
diagnosis of Crohn disease

, Michael D. Sarap, MD, FACS; Jennifer Childers, MS, PA-C May 23, 2011

In evaluating possible Crohn disease, capsule endoscopy is effective at showing the entire small bowel and tracking the progression of healing.
 

What caused this massive abdominal and pelvic cyst?

, Michael H. Stella, MD; Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH May 20, 2011

A 27-year-old woman presented to the ED for evaluation of abdominal pain that was present for the past 12 hours and progressively worsening abdominal distention that had persisted for 3 months.
 

Tingling and swelling on the left side of a patient's neck

, Urvi R. Shah, MD; Sandeep K. Puri March 22, 2011

In this unusual case, a patient with a history significant for trauma to the neck and upper extremities presents with progressive swelling of the neck and tingling in the left upper limb.
 

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