Healthcare and Medical News for Atlanta Physicians

Post-Concussion Syndrome and Vestibular Involvement

By Ronald Leif Steenerson, M.D., and Gaye W. Cronin, OTD, OTR

PCS From The Neuro-Otology Experience Post-concussion syndrome (PCS) commonly involves the vestibular system, which is essential to normal movement and balance. The most persistent symptoms reported following PCS include vertigo deficits, neck spasms, exercise intolerances and memory problems.1 Vestibular symptoms of vertigo, imbalance and visual motion intolerances can last ... Continue Reading

Let’s Talk About Suicide

By Erin Harlow-Parker, APRN, PMHCNS-BC

After 30 years working in child and adolescent behavioral health, I have seen amazing advances in behavioral healthcare. We have identified genetic links to some mental health diagnoses; we have developed medications to better treat mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia; we have more available platforms to talk about mental illness and substance ... Continue Reading

Immunotherapy

By Helen K. Kelley In recent years, immunotherapy – a range of cancer therapies that use the body’s own immune system to attack cancer cells – has gained ground as a weapon for fighting many different forms of the disease. We recently spoke with two Atlanta physicians about the promise and the reality of some immunotherapies. Targeted Therapies Block Growth and Spread of ... Continue Reading

Regional Anesthesia For Abdominal Surgery

By Stephen M. Anderson, M.D.

Regional anesthesia plays an important role in patient recovery. Opioid-sparing techniques show benefits including decreased length of stay (LOS), improved postoperative pulmonary function and decreased overall morbidity and mortality. This article will discuss indications for regional anesthesia for abdominal surgery, the techniques by which they are used, and the risks and ... Continue Reading

Hernia Repair: Current Diagnosis and Management for Abdominal Wall Hernia Repair

By Mark B. Wilkiemeyer, M.D., FACS Abdominal wall hernia, simply defined as a space or gap in the abdominal wall, is one of the most common complaints seen by the practicing general surgeon. Literature tends to focus on management of hernia once it is identified and classified, but this ignores the necessary diagnostic steps to correctly classify the location of the hernia. ... Continue Reading

Fertility Treatment for the PCOS Patient

By Kathryn Calhoun, M.D.

Chronic anovulation is a hallmark of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), so the vast majority of women with PCOS will require fertility treatment to conceive. In a young PCOS patient with no obvious barriers to conception (other than anovulation), it is reasonable to start ovulation induction medicines before evaluating her uterus/tubes or her partner's semen analysis. If the ... Continue Reading

Concussion: A Neurosurgeon’s Perspective

By Jack Barrow, Vijay Agarwal, M.D., and Daniel L. Barrow, M.D. Over the past two decades, there has been increased awareness, interest, and scrutiny of traumatic brain injury (TBI), especially sports related concussion (SRC).1-4 Much of this recent interest has been fueled by reports in the lay press of the potential effects of repetitive head injury in high-profile athletes, ... Continue Reading

History of Surgery in Pregnancy

By Sarah McClellan, MPH, and Ceana Nezhat, M.D. Historically, pregnancy has been a time of joy and apprehension. During the Renaissance, women would write out their wills as soon as they became pregnant.2 History, in fact, is full of maternal death. Thomas Jefferson lost his wife following childbirth in 1782. Princess Charlotte of Wales, granddaughter of King George III and ... Continue Reading

Managing Diabetes Mellitus During Non-Obstetric Surgery in Pregnancy

By Iris Krishna, M.D., MPH One of the more commonly encountered medical complications in pregnancy is diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus in pregnancy is characterized as pregestational or gestational diabetes. Pregestational diabetes is diagnosed prior to pregnancy and affects approximately 1 percent of pregnancies, while gestational diabetes is diagnosed during pregnancy ... Continue Reading

Genomics

By Helen K. Kelley Genomic medicine, a discipline that involves using an individual’s genomic information as part of their clinical care, is true personalized medicine. Physicians and researchers in this field are working diligently to find new treatments that customize a patient’s medical care based on their unique genetic makeup. Rapid Advances in Genetic Disease ... Continue Reading

Anesthesia for Surgery in Pregnant Patients

By Laura E Gilbertson, M.D., Milad Sharifpour, M.D., and Grant C Lynde, M.D. More than 75,000 pregnant patients undergo non-obstetric surgery in the United States each year. Fortunately, good preparation and planning can lead to good outcomes for both mother and child. Finding physicians and hospitals with experience in caring for parturients with comorbid conditions is ... Continue Reading

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome – A Simplified Approach to Diagnosis

By Jennifer F. Kawwass, MD and Heather S. Hipp, MD

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, the enigmatic syndrome ascribed to infertile, overweight females with irregular menstrual cycles, may be simpler to understand than it seems. The syndrome can be confusing: no clear linear causal pathway has been elucidated, and many endocrine axes interact to accentuate the classical physical manifestations. In addition, it is a broad ... Continue Reading

An Unforeseen Threat: The Impact of Viral Hepatitis on Reproduction

By Alexis P. Calloway, M.D

Much focus is given to the long- and short-term impact of commonly tested sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea and HPV on reproductive health. As the medical landscape of diagnosis and therapeutic options for infertility evolve, it is just as important to focus on viral hepatitis as well, with particular emphasis on Hepatitis B and C. Viral ... Continue Reading

Melanoma

By Helen K. Kelley

Melanoma, typically a malignant tumor associated with skin cancer and the cause of the vast majority of skin cancer deaths, can also occur in the eye or any mucous membrane of the body. While the risk of melanoma increases with age, it is one of the most common cancers found in young adults, particularly young women. Georgia is one of the states with the highest incidence of ... Continue Reading

Sexually Transmitted Infections and Fertility

By Kalinda D. Woods, M.D. Those of us who study science may remember sitting in an introductory general biology lecture hall at some point in our academic past. An esteemed lecturer after formal introduction and orientation to the course may have opened the semester of study by insisting students internalize a single concept to begin to study biology: life persists. The ... Continue Reading

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