News
Good Hemostasis With LigaSure in Laparoscopic Hysterectomy
Operating time and blood loss during laparoscopic hysterectomy are similar whether hemostasis is achieved with LigaSure or conventional bipolar instruments, Dutch researchers say. LigaSure (Valleylab, Boulder, Colorado) desiccates vascular tissues using a feedback-programmed amount of bipolar diathermy, effectively closing vessels up to 7 mm with a seal that can withstand three times the normal systolic…
Read MoreUpdated Recommendations for Tdap Include Pregnant Women
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking measures to fill a gap in the protection of infants from pertussis, by vaccinating pregnant women and people in contact with infants younger than 1 year. The tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine consists of tetanus toxoid, reduced…
Read MoreEndometrial Ablation Has Advantages Over Hysterectomy for Heavy Menstruation
When women need treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding, endometrial ablation is less likely than hysterectomy to be followed later by pelvic floor repair or surgery for urinary incontinence, a Scottish study indicates. Using population-based data, Dr. S. Bhattacharya of the University of Aberdeen and colleagues examined the risk of further surgery in more than 51,000…
Read MoreCIN Risk Low in HPV+ Women With Normal Colposcopy Results
When women with human papilloma virus (HPV) have low-grade cytology findings but a normal colposcopy, they can be followed at routine intervals, a UK team has shown. Such women are at low risk for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), the researchers say. Most studies evaluating the risk of high-grade disease after a negative colposcopy were…
Read MoreSmoking Increases Women’s Risk for Peripheral Artery Disease
Among initially healthy women, smoking for even a short time is a potent risk factor for symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to the results of a prospective cohort study reported in the June 7 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. “This study showed that—as has been previously shown for heart attacks and for lung cancer—that smoking…
Read MoreHigh Carb Intake in Pregnancy Linked to Gallbladder Disease
A high carbohydrate intake in pregnancy raises the risk of developing gallstones, according to investigators at the University of Washington, Seattle, who presented their findings here at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2011. The study involved 3070 women in their first trimester of pregnancy. Results showed that the risk for gallbladder disease was significantly higher among…
Read MoreMesh Better Than Colporrhaphy for Vaginal Prolapse, but Risks Higher
With more than 300,000 U.S. women facing surgery in the U.S. each year for pelvic-organ prolapse, a new study has concluded that the newer technique of supporting the internal organs with a mesh trampoline produces better short-term success, but complication rates are higher. The study, in the May 12th New England Journal of Medicine, comes…
Read MoreEarlier Flu Shot Better for Pregnant Women: Study
Experts recommend that pregnant women get a flu shot each year, and now a new study suggests that the earlier they do it, the better. The study, which estimated the effects of flu vaccination at different points in the flu season, found that the benefits wane if vaccination is pushed past November. Vaccinations later in…
Read MoreEarlier Pap Smears Best for At-Risk Adolescents
Young women who have multiple partners or a history of sexually transmitted disease would benefit from cervical cancer screening before age 21, according to new research presented earlier this week at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology. “The patient population that we looked at is of lower socioeconomic status, they…
Read MoreScreening Mammography Finds Smaller, Less Invasive Tumors
Breast tumors that are detected on screening mammography in women between 40 and 49 years of age are smaller and are less likely to have nodal metastases compared with tumors found on physical examination. Results of a study showing this were presented here at the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) 12th Annual Meeting. Paul…
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