HIPAA for physicians in the information age.

The increased prominence of electronic health records, email, mobile devices, and social media has transformed the health care environment by providing both physicians and patients with opportunities for rapid communication and knowledge exchange. However, these technological advances require increased attention to patient privacy under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Instant access to large amounts of electronic protected health information (PHI) merits the highest standard of network security and HIPAA training for all staff members. Physicians are responsible for protecting PHI stored on portable devices. Personal, residential, and public wireless connections are not certified with HIPAA-compliant Business Associate Agreements and are unsuitablefor PHI. A professional and privacy-oriented approach to electronic communication, online activity, and social media is imperative to maintaining public trust in physician integrity. As new technologies are integrated into health care practice, the assurance of privacy will encourage patients to continue to seek medical care.

Central retinal vein occlusion resulting from anomalous retinal vascular anatomy in a 24-year-old man.

An otherwise healthy 24-year-old man presented with a painless decrease of vision in the left eye for 2 days. Best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in the right eye and 20/80 in the left eye. Anterior exam was unremarkable and funduscopic exam in the left eye revealed retinal hemorrhages in all four quadrants with venous dilation and tortuosity consistent with central retinal vein occlusion. Fluorescein angiography revealed delayed venous filling with neither leakage nor vasculitis. A comprehensive work-up that included infectious, inflammatory, and hypercoagulability studies was unremarkable, and magnetic resonance imaging of the orbits was unrevealing. After 2 months, best-corrected visual acuity returned to 20/20-2 in the left eye. Upon closer review of the vascular anatomy in the left eye, a bifurcation of the central retinal artery at the level of the optic disc was tightly intertwined with an undilated nasal retinal vein in a manner that appeared to compress the underlying central retinal vein, resulting in dilation and tortuosity of the remaining venous branches. The vessel wall damage, turbulent venous flow, and compressive mass effect resulting from the anomalous retinal vasculature relationship is the proposed mechanism of the central retinal vein occlusion. Careful attention to the retinal vascular anatomy is suggested to aid in assessing the risk of retinal vein occlusion in any age group.

Hemorrhagic angiomyolipoma and tuberous sclerosis complex: a case report.

Tuberous sclerosis was first described in 1862 by von Recklinghausen. Since then there have been many advances in our understanding of the diagnosis, pathogenesis, and treatment of this disease complex, especially after it was characterized genetically. While many patients who have tuberous sclerosis present with the classic triad of mental retardation, seizures, and facial "adenoma sebaceum," most do not because of its variable penetrance. The diagnostic criteria have been revised to include patients with tuberous sclerosis who do not match the classic pattern. Here we describe a 44-year-old female without a prior diagnosis who did not have the classic triad but who presented with flank pain. Hemorrhagic angiomyolipoma was diagnosed by computerized tomography scan and she was treated by an embolization procedure. We review tuberous sclerosis and underscore the need to consider this diagnosis for the following reasons: 1. it is not uncommon (slightly more than one in 6,000 live births); 2. its presentation is protean; 3. once the diagnosis is made, search can be made for associated findings that may lead to additional morbidity if not carefully managed, e.g., if an angio-myolipoma is diagnosed, it can be followed and possibly treated; and 4. owing to its autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance, members of the family can be screened appropriately.