Latest Conference Articles

A Quix Test is an accurate way to find selective canal involvement in Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) patients in many cases, according to Kevin Coughlin of Florida State University College of Medicine in Tallahassee, FL. The study will be presented in a poster session on Apr. 18 at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in Washington, DC.

Many patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) also suffer from negatively altered motor functions and communication behaviors, according to lead author Lorene Leung. The study will be presented in a poster session on Apr. 18 at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in Washington, DC.

Pathological vertebral artery (VA) abnormalities can be identified in acute vestibular syndrome (AVS) patients with the use of an axial T2 MRI scan, according to Jorge Kattah, MD, a neurologist at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, IL. This study will be presented in a poster session on Apr. 18 at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in Washington, DC.

The macular inner retinal layer thickness differs between individuals with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis (MS), according to lead author Richard Loeb. The study will be presented in a poster session on Apr. 18 at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in Washington, DC. The finding should help physicians distinguish between the ailments.

Pain management is part of the pratice in many medical specialities, but it is also a specialty in itself. Groups like the American Society of Interventional Pain Specialists are seeing membership growth--partly because of the need to become more effective advocates.

Drugs have not been shown effective in relieving the debilitating headaches that can follow mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). Researchers report that transcranial magnetic stimulation appears to do better.

Pain physicians and surgeons have concerns about performing back surgery on patients already taking opioids to control pain. A report from Massachusetts General Hospital researchers shows those concerns appear to be mostly unfounded.

Surgery appears to work better than conventional medical management to treat discogenic lumbar back pain, team reported at the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians meeting in Orlando, FL.

Targeted radiofrequency ablation (t-RFA) can be safely used to alleviate pain from spinal metastatic cancer, a Kansas team found.

Chronic low back pain can make patients miserable. Much of that pain is in the sacroiliac region. Reporting at the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, a University of Kentucky department of physical medicine and rehabilitation said Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation (CRFA) is a viable treatment option.

Gabapentin is used to treat neuropathic pain from several causes, including diabetic neuropathy, post-herpetic neuralgia, and central neuropathic pain. In a study presented at the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians in Orlando, FL, April 11, Tobore Onojighofia, MD, MPH and colleagues found genetics plays a role in which patients do well on the drug.

Interventional pain management physicians are looking at bringing back an old therapy: destroying pain-causing nerves with cryo-ablation.

With the US population growing older and heavier, chronic knee pain is becoming common, and total knee replacement surgery is on the rise. Some 40% of women age 60 to 70 and 25% of men that age have such pain, and many turn to total knee replacement surgery. New studies suggest denervation of the nerves responsible for knee pain could be an alternative.

An expert on both flight and medical safety, author John Nance tells physicians the recent crash of a German Wings jet holds lessons for medicine as well as aviation.

Interventional pain management-the field of helping patients with acute or chronic pain without doing major surgery--is a both a growing specialty and one that is under assault. As the annual meeting of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians got underway in Orlando, FL today, group leaders outlined the organization's political agenda.

One of the hottest topics in medical science today is the role of the gut microbiome and its affect on various aspects of a person's health. A recent study looked at whether it can help predict the likelihood of a child having health issues linked to allergy and asthma.

For children going to school, their time in the classroom is a time of learning but also a time when germs can be spread on a wide scale basis. For asthma patients this can often mean several causes of their condition becoming worse without having done much to cause it.

New potential guidelines for peanut allergies may not apply to all patients but it could go a long way in treating what has become a growing problem in the healthcare field.

Joseph V. Pergolizzi, MD discusses the integral role his background in physical chemistry and drug development plays in pain medicine research.

It was only a few short years ago that pediatricians were advising new parents to avoid giving their children peanuts for fear of triggering an allergic reaction. That may not be the case anymore thanks to recent detailed studies on the topic.

Skin prick tests may be the most common method of determining skin allergies, but a recent test looked at their efficacy in diagnosing asthma in young patients as well.

There seems to be an ever growing list of items people are allergic to, and allergies that would only last a matter of months now stretch throughout the calendar for many. How best to handle these patients has become a focal point of care for allergists.

Seasonal allergies may be a common problem for patients, but for those who have allergies all year long, their treatment provides its own set of challenges for allergists.

Changing the dosage of an asthma patient does not come without its fair share of risks, but when done properly it can both help their quality of life and keep them safe from other complications at the same time.

While some exacerbations of asthma require trips to the doctor or emergency room, work is being done to help patients control their condition better in the comfort of their own home.

For patients who develop wheat allergies later in life the changes they need to make are difficult to do. There are, however, steps that can be taken to make those changes in less dramatic ways.

While not as widely discussed as other food allergies like peanuts, wheat allergies can present in a variety of ways and affect patients different depending on their age.

In the inner cities some children do not have the resources at their disposal to get the care they needed. Recently considerable effort has been made to helping keep them healthy and able to function in their daily lives.

Pollution can be a major problem no matter where patients live, and reversing its effects can be a difficult process. However, with the right approach small steps can be taken that can eventually make a big difference.

Along with the issues pollution poses for asthma and allergy patients, developing research shows it can also affect cardiovascular health as well.