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Hernia is when an organ or tissue protrudes through a weak area in the surrounding muscle or connective tissue. There are different types of hernias that generally vary by location. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a developmental defect of the diaphragm that permits the abdominal viscera to herniate into the chest. The amount of herniated contents may be small or large and it generally contains parts of the intestine, spleen, or liver. CDH occurs during a critical period of lung…

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An infant’s skull is comprised of boney plates separated by sutures.  Cranial sutures are strong, fibrous tissues that hold the bones together and they intersect in large soft spots known as fontanelles. The infant’s skull does not completely fuse until the age of two thereby granting the brain time to grow. Once the bones fuse, the sutures no longer remain flexible.  

Craniosynostosis is due to premature fusion of one or more cranial sutures.  It affects 1 in every…

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Hydrocephalus is also known as “water in the brain.”  It is a condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles, which are cavities in the brain.  In infants with hydrocephalus, CSF builds up in the central nervous system, causing the soft spot near the front of the scalp, known as the anterior fontanelle, to bulge and the head to be larger than expected. There is also a soft spot near the back of…

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The term volvulus is derived from the Latin word volve, which means to twist. A colonic volvulus occurs when a part of the colon twists on its mesentery, resulting in acute, subacute, or chronic colonic obstruction.  Volvulus involving the sigmoid colon is the most common, occuring in 75% of cases.  Sigmoid volvulus occurs when the last part of the large bowel just before the rectum (named for its “S” shape) twists on its self.  It is common in elderly men…

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By dividing breast cancer into molecular breast cancer subtypes, physicians and researchers can devise better approaches and treatments for dealing with the disease. Most studies divide breast cancer into four major molecular subtypes: Luminal A, Luminal B, Triple-negative, and HER2/neu. Triple-negative breast cancer is characterized by tumors that lack estrogen, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor receptors. 

Higher rates of triple negative breast cancer have been recorded in younger women, Hispanic and African American women, and women of lower socioeconomic…

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There are approximately 12,000 new cases of spinal cord compression annually in the United States with the average age of victims being 39.5 years old. Causes of spinal cord compression include trauma (such as auto accidents, falls, sports injury, epidural injection), spinal abscess, tumor, hematoma or blood clot, ruptured or herniated disk, and spinal stenosis. . Early symptoms may include the start of loss of movement or feeling in the arms or legs, back pain, and the loss of bowel…

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Amputation is the surgical removal of all or part of an extremity. The most common amputation surgery is above or below the knee.  The indications for leg amputation include severe trauma, significant tumor in the bone or muscle, lack of blood circulation due to peripheral arterial disease, worsening or uncontrollable infection, failed management of acute compartment syndrome, failed management of Charcot’s degenerative osteoarthropathy, or debilitating extremity paralysis from infection or pressure-related complications. Failute to timely diagnose and treat infection, tumor…

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