Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy facts Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is a procedure that allows nutritional support for patients who cannot take food orally. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy involves placement of a tube through the abdominal wall and into the stomach through which nutritional liquids can be infused. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is a surgical procedure; however, it does not require opening the abdomen or...
How to Test for Lactose Intolerance: Stool Acidity Test
What is a stool acidity test? Readers Comments 1 Share Your Story The stool acidity test is a test for diagnosing intolerance to lactose, the sugar contained in milk, in infants and very young children. What is lactose intolerance? Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest the lactose sugar in milk. Milk containing the sugar lactose is a main source...
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation: Side Effects
Electrical nerve stimulation history For several thousand years, people have recognized that electrical stimulation can have an impact on pain. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, is said to have used electric fish to cause numbness, and a report of gout being “cured” by accidental contact with a fish called an electric ray dates back to the first century. Later reports...
Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery: Temporal Lobe, Resective, Recovery
Pediatric epileptic surgery facts Pediatric epilepsy surgery can be used to treat a highly selected group of patients whose seizures are not controllable by standard means. The appropriate candidate for epilepsy surgery must meet several criteria. There are currently three major categories of epilepsy surgery: resective surgery, corpus callosotomy, and implantation of the vagus nerve stimulator. In patients that meet...
Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation: Procedure, Recovery
What is peripheral blood stem cell transplantation? Share Your Story Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation is a treatment which involve first harvesting specific cells called stem cells from the peripheral blood of the donor. These cells are harvested by a type of filtration and then preserved, usually by freezing, and finally given to the recipient after he or she has received intensive...
Is Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) Contagious?
What is leprosy? Share Your Story Leprosy, also termed Hansen's disease, is a chronic infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, a rod-shaped organism that stains reddish when an acid-fast stain is applied. Historians suggest leprosy was recognized as a disease as early as 600 BC; because of the disfigurement of individuals with untreated leprosy, people with leprosy have been...
Ultrasound for Pregnancy, Transvaginal & Other Types
What is an ultrasound? Readers Comments 1 Share Your Story While the patient's history and physical examination are the initial steps of making a medical diagnosis, the ability to peer inside the body can be a powerful tool. Ultrasound is an imaging technique that provides that ability to medical practitioners. Ultrasound produces sound waves that are beamed into the body...
What Is Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN)? Treatment, Symptoms, Causes
Introduction to trigeminal neuralgia (TN) The brain is connected to the body by the spinal cord with spinal nerves sending and receiving impulses and messages to and from the brain. However, there are twelve cranial nerves that directly connect to the body. These nerves are involved with the muscle and sensory function of the head and neck. (The exception is...
Melioidosis Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment
Melioidosis facts Readers Comments 1 Share Your Story Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei. Melioidosis infection commonly involves the lungs. Melioidosis is diagnosed with the help of blood, urine, sputum, or skin-lesion testing. Melioidosis is treated with antibiotics. The overall mortality rate is 40%. What is melioidosis? What causes melioidosis? Melioidosis, also called Whitmore's Disease,...
Ultrasound for Pregnancy, Transvaginal & Other Types
What is an ultrasound? Readers Comments 1 Share Your Story While the patient's history and physical examination are the initial steps of making a medical diagnosis, the ability to peer inside the body can be a powerful tool. Ultrasound is an imaging technique that provides that ability to medical practitioners. Ultrasound produces sound waves that are beamed into the body...