The histopathologic diagnosis of sarcoidosis requires the presence of noncaseating granulomas. Transbronchoscopic lung biopsy (TBLB) has been considered the procedure of choice when less invasive tissue samples are unavailable. A total of 51 consecutive patients suspected of having sarcoidosis underwent combined TBLB and flexible transbronchial needle aspirate (TBNA). In 18 of the 30 patients (...

...................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..........

BACKGROUND Nipple-sparing mastectomy warrants thorough preoperative evaluation to effectively achieve risk reduction, high patient satisfaction, and improved aesthetic outcome. To the authors' knowledge, this review represents the largest series of microsurgical breast reconstructions following nipple-sparing mastectomies. METHODS All patients undergoing nipple-sparing mastectomy with microsu...

BACKGROUND The management of the occiput posterior (OP) position has been controversial for many years. Manual rotation can be performed by midwives and could reduce cesarean sections and instrumental births. We aimed to determine current midwifery views, knowledge, and practice of manual rotation. METHOD A de-identified, self-reported questionnaire was e-mailed to all Australian College of M...

The influence of HLA-DR antigen matching in 70 cadaver transplants was studied for up to four years. The overall cumulative renal graft survival at one year was 62 percent, and at two and four years it was 60 percent. The one, two, and four year cumulative graft survival for patients receiving one or two HLA-DR antigen matched grafts was 74 percent, 69 percent, and 69 percent, respectively. In ...

Mark: This is a prospective, observational study to determine if negative electrocardiography (ECG) performed while the patient is having chest pain can reliably rule out coronary disease. Eligible participants presented to the emergency department with chest pain and had normal initial ECG. Eligibility criteria also included age older than 25 years, two negative troponins over six hours, and a...