Selection of oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy: patient communication and counseling issues.

Oral contraceptives and combination hormone replacement therapy are underused by most women. Among users, lack of compliance/adherence to oral contraceptive or hormone replacement therapy regimens can lead to discontinuation and deprive women of the full range of benefits achieved through hormone continuity. To prevent unintended pregnancy and to improve the health outcomes of women of all ages and the overall quality of life, adherence and continuation rates need to be improved for oral contraceptive and hormone replacement therapy use. Effective communication and counseling during the oral contraceptive and hormone replacement therapy regimen selection process and subsequent follow-up interactions are essential. Patients need to be informed in a clear and concise manner that, for most women, the benefits of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy outweigh any associated health risks. Data should be presented without epidemiologic jargon and in terms that are easily understood. It is recommended that realistic expectations concerning the possible side effects, especially during the initial use of hormones, are established before use; furthermore, the selection of a formulation should take into account the unique needs of each patient.

Carcinoid tumor: an extremely unusual presacral lesion. Report of a case.

PURPOSE: Use of endorectal ultrasonography in preoperative evaluation of a presacral lesion is demonstrated. METHOD: The natural history, presentation, evaluation, and treatment of presacral lesions in adult patients are presented. The case of a female patient with a presacral carcinoid tumor is presented and discussed. RESULTS: The patient underwent preoperative evaluation including physical examination, hematologic studies, proctosigmoidoscopy, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomographic scanning, and endorectal ultrasonography. Ultrasonography proved to be extremely valuable in differentiating tumor compression from tumor invasion of the rectal wall. The patient underwent en bloc excision of the lesion, surrounding tissue, and coccyx. Pathologic diagnosis was carcinoid tumor, possibly replacing a presacral lymph node. Postoperative complete gastrointestinal tract work-up and urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid analysis along with preoperative imaging revealed no evidence of synchronous lesions or additional metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Presacral lesions are extremely rare entities. The role of endorectal ultrasonography has not been clearly defined. This case demonstrates the value of this simple and safe imaging procedure in detecting bowel wall compression vs. invasion, greatly assisting in planning an operative approach.

Use of urokinase in pregnancy. Two success stories.

Use of urokinase in treatment of deep venous thrombosis in pregnancy has been limited because of concerns about teratogenic effects and potential hemorrhage before and after delivery. However, reports to date have been encouraging and our experience is supportive. In the cases described here, urokinase thrombolytic therapy was effectively used to treat deep venous thrombosis in two pregnant patients without any apparent complications.