The uterus or womb, is a muscular structure and is held in place by ligaments and pelvic muscles. If these muscles or tendons become weak, they cause prolapse and are no longer able to hold the uterus in its place.

Uterine prolapse happens when the uterus falls or slips from its ordinary position and into the vagina or birth waterway. It could be complete prolapse or even incomplete at times. A fragmented prolapse happens when the uterus is just hanging into the vagina. A complete prolapse depicts a circumstance in which the uterus falls so far down that some tissue rests outside of the vagina. Likewise, as a lady ages and with a loss of the hormone estrogen, her uterus can drop into the vaginal canal. This condition is known as a prolapsed uterus.

Risks: The risks of this condition are many and have been enumerated as follows:

Complicated delivery during pregnancy
Weak pelvic muscle
Loss of tissue after menopause and loss of common estrogen
Expanded weight in the stomach area, for example, endless cough, constipation, pelvic tumors or accumulation of liquid in the guts
Being overweight
Obesity causing extra strain on the muscles
Real surgery in the pelvic zone
Smoking
Symptoms: Some of the most common symptoms of prolapse involve:

Feeling of sitting on a ball
Abnormal vaginal bleeding
Increase in discharge
Problems while performing sexual intercourse
Seeing the uterus coming out of the vagina
A pulling or full feeling in the pelvis
Constipation
Bladder infections
Nonsurgical medications include:

Losing weight and getting in shape to take stress off of pelvic structures
Maintaining a distance from truly difficult work
Doing Kegel workouts, which are pelvic floor practices that strengthen the vaginal muscles. This can be done at any time, even while sitting down at a desk.
Taking estrogen treatment especially during menopause
Wearing a pessary, which is a gadget embedded into the vagina that fits under the cervix and pushes up to settle the uterus and cervix
Indulging in normal physical activity
Some specialists use the following methods to diagnose the problem:

The specialist will examine you in standing position keeping in mind you are resting and request that you to cough or strain to build the weight in your abdomen.
Particular conditions, for example, ureteral block because of complete prolapse, may require an intravenous pyelogram (IVP) or renal sonography. Color is infused into your vein, and an X-ray is used to view the flow of color through your urinary bladder.
An ultrasound might be utilised to rule out any other existing pelvic issues. In this test, a wand is used on your stomach area or embedded into your vagina to create images of the internal organ with sound waves.

Know Everything About Uterine Prolapse!!

Cancer is the abnormal, uncontrolled growth of cells in a particular body part. With continued growth, pieces of this tissue travel through the blood to different body parts and continue to grow in the new area. This is known as metastases. Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer and affects about 1 in 8 women in the USA. Read on to know more details of breast cancer   breast anatomy, causes, symptoms, risk factors, detection, prevention, and of course treatment.

Anatomy: The main function of the breast is lactation through its milk-producing tissue that are connected to the nipple by narrow ducts. In addition, there is surrounding connective tissue, fibrous material, fat, nerves, blood vessels and lymphatic channels which complete the structure. This is essential to know as most breast cancers develop as small calcifications (hardened particles) in the ducts or as small lumps in the breast tissue which then continues to grow into cancer. The spread can happen through lymphatic or blood flow to other organs.

Warning signs/symptoms: The following are some symptoms that need to be watched out for if you have a predisposition to breast cancer.

    A lump in either of the breasts or armpits
    Change in size, shape, or contour of either breast
    Redness of your breast or nipple
    Discharge of clear or bloody fluid
    Thickening of breast tissue or skin that lasts through a period
    Altered look or feel of the skin on the breast or the nipple (dimpled, inflamed, scaly, or puckered)
    One area on the breast that looks very different from the other areas
    Hardened area under the breast skin

Either one or a combination of these should be an indication to get a detailed checkup done. Early diagnosis results in controlling the disease with minimal treatment and reduced complications.

Causes and risk factors: The exact cause for breast cancer is yet to be pinned down. However, risk factors are clearly identified, and women with risk factors need to watch out for warning signs.

    Family history: Of all the risk factors, the family history is the most important. Breast cancer runs in families, and if there is a first-degree relative with the breast cancer, the chances of developing it are almost double. Two genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the carriers of the disease, and this testing can be done in women to identify if they are at risk.
    Family history of other cancers: Even if there is no breast cancer, if there are other cancers that run in the family, watch out.
    Age: Women over 50 are at higher risk of developing breast cancer.
    Race: Caucasian and Jewish women are at higher risk of breast cancer than African-American women.
    Hormones: Greater exposure to the female hormone estrogen increases the chances of developing breast cancer. Women who use birth control pills for contraception and hormone replacement after menopause are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer.
    Gynecologic milestones: Women who have abnormal menstrual milestones need to watch out. These include those who attain menarche before 12 years of age, get pregnant after 30, attain menopause after 55, and have menstrual cycles shorter than 26 days or longer than 29 days.
    Obesity and alcohol abuse are also likely to increase a woman s chances of developing breast cancer.

Stages: Starting from stage 0, higher stages indicate advanced disease.

    Stage 0: The growth which has begun in the milk-producing tissue or the ducts has remained there (in situ) and not spread to any other area, including the rest of the breast.
    Stage I: The tissue slowly becomes invasive and has begun to affect the surrounding healthy tissue. It could have spread to the fatty breast tissue and some breast tissue may be found in the nearby lymph nodes.
    Stage II: The cancer at this stage grows considerably or spreads to other parts. There are chances that cancer may grow and also spread.
    Stage III: It may have spread to the bones or other organs but small amounts are present in up to 9 to 10 of the lymph nodes in the armpits and collar bones which makes it is difficult to fight.
    Stage IV: The cancer is widespread to far-flung areas like the liver, lungs, bones, and even the brain.

Screening: This is one of the most effective ways to identify the disease in its early stages. This will help in controlling cancer from spreading with minimal treatment.

    Self-examination: A thorough self-examination to look for changes in terms of shape, size, colour, contour, and firmness should be learned by all women. Watch for any discharge, sores, rashes, or swelling in the breasts, surrounding skin, and nipple. Examine them while standing and when lying down.
    In most women, annual screening mammograms are advised after the age of 40. However, in women who have a strong family history or genetic makeup, it is advisable to have screening mammograms starting at age 20 every 3 years and then annually from the age of 40.
    Women in high-risk categories should have screening mammograms every year and typically start at an earlier age.
    Ultrasound screening can also be given in addition to mammograms.
    Breast MRI is another way to screen for breast cancer if the risk is greater.

Breast Cancer Prevention: Now that there is so much awareness about causes and risk factors, there are definitely ways to prevent or delay the onset of the disease.

    Exercise and a healthy diet with reduced amount of alcohol are definitely effective in minimising the chances of developing cancer.
    Tamoxifen is used in women who are at high risk for breast cancer.
    Evista (raloxifene) which is used to treat osteoporosis after menopause. It is also widely used in preventing breast cancer.
    In high-risk women, breasts are surgically removed to prevent the development of cancer (preventive mastectomy).

Treatment: As with all cancers, treatment would depend on the stage at which it is identified and include a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. As noted earlier, if you are at risk, look out for warning signs as early diagnosis is the key to maximum recovery.

Breast Cancer - Know More to Say 'No' More!

Bone cancer is a cancerous tumour in the bone, destroying the normal bone tissues. Tumours on bone tissues are not always cancerous or malignant, they are mostly benign. Primary bone cancer is when the malignant tumour begins to form in the tissues of the bones, but when these cancerous cells spread to other body parts like breasts, prostate or lungs, it is called metastatic cancer. Primary bone cancer is less common than metastatic cancer.

Bone cancer can be of three different types:

Osteosarcoma: In this case, the malignant tumour arises from the osteoid bone tissue. This occurs mainly in the upper arm and knee areas.

Chondrosarcoma: In this case the cancerous cells form in the cartilaginous tissues, causing a lot of pain. This occurs mostly in the pelvic area.

The Ewing sarcoma generally arises in the bone but it can also form in the soft tissues. Other kinds of soft tissues affecting cancerous cells are known as soft tissue sarcomas.

Causes-

There aren t many clear defined causes; however, several factors have been identified by researchers.

Osteosarcoma is seen to occur more frequently in people who have been through a high external radiation therapy dose.

In people who have frequently been treated with anticancer medications, children tend to be most affected.

Heredity may be an adding cause, although the percentage of hereditary transfer of cancer cells is very low.



People with hereditary bone defects or implants have a higher chance of acquiring bone cancer.

Symptoms-

The most common and saddening symptom of bone cancer is painful, although not all bone cancers cause pain. Unusual or persistent swelling or pain around a bone maybe a red flag for bone cancer. In case of a situation like this, immediate doctor s opinion is required.

Diagnosis-

Usually, diagnosis of a bone cancer can be made using X-rays; for example, a bone scan, a computed tomography scan, a magnetic imaging procedure positron emission tomography, and an angiogram. Biopsy and blood tests are also helpful in bone cancer diagnosis.

Treatment-

The size, location and stage of cancer, age, and health of the person decide the kind of treatment that should be given to the patient. Various treatment options include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and cryosurgery.

Survival-

The combined survival rate of all sorts of bone cancers is 70%. This percentage may vary with the type of bone cancer and also its stage.

An Overview Of Bone Cancer

The pain which a person experiences as a result of having a herniated disc can be quite debilitating, to tell you the truth. However, taking into due account the fact that all a person in such a situation would want would be to be up and running as soon as possible.

In order for this to happen, as would be expected, he or she would need to go through the options which are available for treatment of a herniated disc. There are various types of herniated disc treatments which are available though it can be said that conservative treatments are preferred as these treatments do not require surgery to be carried out on the person who is suffering from the issue.

The course of this sort of treatment lasts somewhere between one month to one and a half months. The aim of conservative treatment is to reduce or minimise the pain that is automatically associated with a herniated disc. There is a strategy to help a person improve by which he or she is provided with medicine for the purpose of pain relief while physiotherapy is made use of to make the underlying condition better.

Surgical treatment may be required, if the case is such that the person has lost a great degree of function and is in pain that seems to be pretty much unbearable. `If the person has a lumbar herniated disc, then the conservative treatment for this sort of case would require him or her to apply ice and heat from a warm source to provide relief to the area. If the pain is very bad yet the person is determined not to undergo surgery then the answer would be to consume some oral steroids or narcotic pain medications. One should surely keep in mind that this is only to carried out as per the prescription of a doctor who is trained and experienced to a sufficient degree.

If surgery is required for this sort of herniated disc, then it is likely to be a lumbar decompression surgery which aims to allow for the growth of the spine back to health as a result of removing the herniated disc. When it comes to cervical herniated disc treatment, conservative solutions include using drugs like ibuprofen and physical therapy; similar to solving lumbar herniated discs. However, surgical treatment for cervical herniated discs warrants anterior cervical decompression; where the disc is removed from the front of the neck.

 What Therapy Is Best For Herniated Disc?

When cells divide abnormally and uncontrollably, they can form a mass or lump of tissue. This lump is called a tumor. Bone tumors form in your bones. As the tumor grows, abnormal tissue can displace healthy tissue.

Some tumors are benign, meaning they aren t cancerous. While benign bone tumors won t spread to other parts of the body and are unlikely to be fatal, they can still be dangerous and may require treatment. Benign tumors can grow and could compress your healthy bone tissue. Other tumors are malignant, meaning they re cancerous. Malignant bone tumors can cause cancer to spread throughout the body.

Causes of bone tumor:

The cause of bone tumors is unknown. They often occur in areas of the bone that grow rapidly. Possible causes include:

Genetic defects passed down through families
Radiation
Injury
In most cases, no specific cause is found.
Symptoms of bone tumor:

Symptoms of bone tumor may include any of the following:

Bone fracture, especially fracture from slight injury (trauma)
Bone pain, may be worse at night
Occasionally a mass and swelling can be felt at the tumor site
Some benign tumors have no symptoms.
Diagnosing a bone tumor:

There are some common conditions like fractures, infections and other conditions that may resemble tumors. But, to be sure some physical examination to be performed which will check the tenderness in the bone and also the range of motion. Blood or Urine test may be performed to detect different proteins that may indicate the presence of tumor. Doctor may go with X-rays and depending on the X-ray results other imaging tests might be necessary i.e. CT scan, MRI PET scan. In some cases biopsy is also performed. In this test. a sample of the tissue that makes up the tumor is removed.

Treating bone tumor:

Bone cancer is generally treated with Surgery in which the entire tumor is removed. The surgeon carefully examines the margins of your tumor to make sure no cancer cells are left. Surgical techniques have improved greatly. Other ways to treat is radiation therapy which is used in conjunction with surgery. Still if the doctor feels that cancer cells are likely to spread or already spread then Chemotherapy is recommended.

Bone Tumor - How It Can Be Diagnosed?

Brain mapping is a technique where the biological quantities of a human brain are represented as spatial quantities resulting in maps. As with many other medical technologies, brain mapping is fast-evolving as well. Among several uses, brain mapping is chiefly used while performing surgery on the brain.

When surgery is to be performed on the brain such as surgery for epilepsy, the surgeon would want to comprehend how the brain areas are affected by seizures. The surgical intervention is meant for removing as much as seizure focus as possible while preserving crucial functions like understanding, speech, vision, movement, and sensation.

Why is brain mapping performed?
Brain mapping is a process which helps in identification of functions of various parts of the brain. Mapping the brain by stimulating different areas of the brain areas can aid in creating a map for a particular person. The map allows the doctor in understanding what parts of the brain are responsible for performing critical functions including sensation, movement, speech and other functions.

Which functions of the brain can be mapped electrically?
Typical areas of the brain which have motor, language, visual and sensory functions are needed to be mapped. When current is applied to a single area at a time, the doctor understands which part of the brain is responsible for which function.
When the patient is not able to speak due to the current, then the area is likely to be crucial for language function. If the limbs, face or trunk of the patient stop moving as the current passes, the area that is tested is responsible for movement. On the other hand, if the individual experiences tingling, numbing, and other sensations when the current is applied, it means that a sensory region is discovered.

How is electrical brain mapping performed?
Electrical brain mapping for guiding brain surgery for epilepsy can be performed in two distinct processes: directly during the surgery or in a two-stage procedure.

Two-stage procedure:
In the first stage of the process, the surgeon creates an opening in the skull which helps in exposing the surface of the brain. Small electrical contacts or electrodes are placed on the brain surface even though no brain tissue is removed. As soon as the electrodes are in the right position, the scalp is closed. The electrodes not only record the seizure of the patient electrically but also allow mapping of various areas of the brain. The last stage is surgery where abnormal brain tissues are removed.

Brain mapping process during surgery:
Electrical brain mapping may also be performed during the surgery which exposes part of the brain. This is termed as intraoperative brain mapping since it occurs while performing the main operation. The process of mapping may last for an hour to several hours at a stretch.

Brain mapping is also used to diagnose neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer s and Parkinson s. In these cases, the brain map shows extreme shrinkage of the brain due to tissue loss.

Brain Mapping Surgery - Why It Is Performed?

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