The Power of a Team

In this creative writing piece, Dr. Racek shows how being a part of a team informs much of her life

Abdominal resection of a cornual heterotopic pregnancy using intraoperative ultrasound: case report

Background: Heterotopic pregnancy is a rare complication of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and diagnosis and treatment can be challenging, particularly with unusual ectopic sites and desire to maintain the intrauterine pregnancy. Case: We review the case of a 29-year-old female who presented with a cornual heterotopic pregnancy following IVF treated with exploratory laparotomy and ultrasound guided resection of the cornual pregnancy, resulting in an ongoing viable singleton intrauterine pregnancy. Conclusion: The management of cornual heterotopic pregnancies is limited by lack of data regarding ideal treatment although several surgical and non-surgical strategies have been described. This case uses abdominal resection of cornual ectopic pregnancy using intraoperative ultrasound as an optimal approach to remove the ectopic pregnancy without disrupting the viable intrauterine pregnancy, which was in close proximity of the cornual ectopic

Pain control options for first trimester surgical abortions: a review

Pain control is a significant issue for women undergoing gynecological procedures including first trimester surgical abortion. Pain perception is a complex phenomenon which impacts the selection of analgesia. We present a review on the efficacy of various pain control modalities for first trimester surgical abortion in the clinical setting

Primary appendiceal mucinous adenocarcinoma in two first-degree relatives: case report and review

Carcinomas of the appendix are exceedingly rare tumors and have an annual age-adjusted incidence of around 0.4 cases per 100,000. Appendiceal adenocarcinoma accounts for < 0.5% of all gastrointestinal neoplasms and, of these, mucinous adenocarcinomas account for the majority. Published accounts of familial instances of primary appendiceal tumors are strikingly rare. We report two siblings who both developed primary mucinous adenocarcinomas. A genetics evaluation was conducted to determine if there was a recognizable underlying single gene disorder; no DNA mismatch repair defect was evident, and no other diagnosis was apparent. A review of appendiceal cancers seen at Mayo Clinic from l997 to the present was conducted to search for additional familial cases. Among 316 cases of primary appendiceal cancer of any histologic type, this sib pair was the only family reporting a second affected family member. The occurrence of appendiceal cancer in siblings may represent a random occurrence. An exceedingly rare predisposition syndrome cannot be ruled out