56 PREOPERATIVE EVALUATION (NONCARDIAC SURGERY) General Discussion The effective preoperative evaluation seeks to perform several tasks which include (1) decreasing surgical morbidity; (2) minimizing expensive delays and cancellations on the…
10 CEREBROSPINAL FLUID EVALUATION General Discussion The central nervous system (CNS) is susceptible to bacterial, viral, and fungal infections, as well as to prion diseases and numerous local and systemic…
54 PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY General Discussion Peripheral neuropathy represents one of the most common neurologic disorders encountered by primary care physicians. Peripheral neuropathy may be the result of hereditary, toxic, infectious,…
67 THROMBOCYTOPENIA General Discussion Thrombocytopenia is defined as a platelet count below the normal range for the population, which is between 150 000 and 450 000/μL. Healthy women may experience…
63 SOLITARY PULMONARY NODULE General Discussion A solitary pulmonary nodule is radiologically defined as an intraparenchymal lung lesion that is less than 3 cm in diameter and is not associated…
60 RENAL CYSTS General Discussion Renal masses can be categorized into cysts, tumors, and inflammatory lesions. Autopsy results have shown that about 50% of persons older than 50 years have…
31 HEMATURIA (microscopic) General Discussion Definitions of microscopic hematuria vary from one to more than 10 red cells per high-power field. The American Urological Association has issued guidelines for the…
65 SYNOVIAL FLUID ANALYSIS General Discussion Analysis of synovial fluid plays a major role in the diagnosis of joint disease. Several classification schemes have been used to help classify joint…
57 PROTEINURIA General Discussion Proteinuria is a frequent finding on dipstick testing of urine specimens, yet fewer than 2% of these represent serious and treatable urinary tract disorders. Proteinuria is…
34 HYPERCALCEMIA General Discussion The three pathophysiological mechanisms for hypercalcemia are increased bone resorption, increased gastrointestinal absorption of calcium, and decreased renal excretion of calcium. Increased bone resorption accounts for…
