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‘Roe’lling with the punches: Telehealth contraception and abortion

Unsafe abortion is a global health issue as it is a key preventable cause of maternal mortality. It has been estimated that up to...

Cause of vaginal spotting in an older woman

A 77-year-old Chinese woman with a past medical history of Sjogren’s syndrome, nodular goitre and right-sided neck lymphadenopathy, presented to the gynaecological service for...

Congenital cytomegalovirus infection: Advocating for screening and education

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the leading non-genetic cause of congenital neurosensory hearing loss in children, accounting for 21% of cases of hearing loss at...

Experience with a Nine-step Policy Dealing with Requests for Medically Inappropriate Interventions for Cancer

Although great strides have been made in treating cancers, a significant number of patients still reach the point at which no curative treatment is...

Invasive Cancer after Treatment of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia

The objective of a cervical screening programme is to prevent invasive cancer of the cervix by detecting and treating pre-invasive disease of the cervix....

The Polarprobe—Emerging Technology for Cervical Cancer Screening

Cervical cancer is a preventable disease that affects nearly half a million women worldwide. The Papanicolaou smear has been used for screening for over...

Occult Virilizing Ovarian Tumours in Postmenopausal Women: Problems in Evaluation with Reference to a Case

A remarkable variety of endocrinologic disorders may cause virilization syndromes. This can pose a diagnostic dilemma to even the most experienced clinicians.This article is...

Occult Virilizing Ovarian Tumours in Postmenopausal Women: Problems in Evaluation with Reference to a Case

A remarkable variety of endocrinologic disorders may cause virilization syndromes. This can pose a diagnostic dilemma to even the most experienced clinicians.This article is...

Pelvic Spleen Masquerading as an Ovarian Neoplasm

A 53-year-old Caucasian woman, a receptionist in a general practice, was referred to the gynaecology outpatient clinic with an 18-month history of heavy, irregular...

Repair of Complex Ureterovaginal and Vesicovaginal Fistulas with Ileal Cystoplasty and Ureteric Reimplantation into an Antireflux Ileal Nipple Valve—A Case Report

Urogenital fistulas are a known but uncommon complication of gynaecological surgery, especially those involving a malignant process. Its incidence does not exceed 2%.This article...

A Case Report—Delayed Vesicocutaneous Fistula After Radiation Therapy for Advanced Vulvar Cancer

To our knowledge this is the first reported case of an isolated vesicocutaneous fistula related to previous radiation therapy for recurrent vulvar cancer.This article...

Optimal Treatment in Gestational Trophoblastic Disease

Gestational trophoblastic diseases (GTD) encompass a spectrum of interrelated conditions: Hydatidiform mole (HM) Invasive mole (IM) Choriocarcinoma (CC) Placental site trophoblastic tumour (PSTT)This article is available only as...

Fallopian Tube Carcinoma—A Review

Fallopian tube cancer is the least common of gynaecological malignancies. It was first described by Renaud in 1847.This article is available only as a...

Current Management of Early Vulvar Cancer

Carcinoma of the vulva is an uncommon malignancy, but one that is amenable to early diagnosis if symptoms and signs are appropriately investigated. Although...

Topoisomerase-I Inhibitors in Gynaecologic Tumours

Topoisomerases are essential nuclear enzymes with a multiplicity of cellular functions involving DNA replication, RNA transcription, mitosis, and chromosome condensation. Two classes have been...

Screening for Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is the most common gynaecological malignancy with over 5000 new cases diagnosed every year in the UK and 22 000 in the...

Biomarkers in Carcinoma of the Cervix: Emphasis on Tissue-related Factors and Their Potential Prognostic Factors

Accurate staging is of utmost importance in determining the prognosis of carcinoma of the cervix. Demographic features such as race and socio-economic status have...

The Management Dilemma of the Mildly Abnormal Smear: Fact or Fiction?

Carcinoma of the cervix is still a relatively common gynaecological malignancy. However, despite being potentially preventable it still claims the lives of many women...

Adenocarcinoma of the Cervix

It is clear from studies in Canada, Scandinavia, and more recently the United Kingdom, that routine Pap smear screening has not only reduced the...

Malignant Ovarian Germ Cell Tumours: Experience in the National University Hospital of Singapore

One of the most remarkable advances in the management of gynaecological cancers is in malignant ovarian germ cell tumours. Before the early 70s, some...

A Phase II Study of Combined CPT-11 and Mitomycin-C in Platinum Refractory Clear Cell and Mucinous Ovarian Carcinoma

Platinum resistance, either de novo or acquired, is a major obstacle in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer. Platinum-resistance has been classified into the...

Single Agent Paclitaxel in Resistant and Relapsed Epithelial Ovarian Cancer After First-line Platinum-based Chemotherapy—Experience in an Asian Population

Ovarian carcinoma ranks fourth among causes of death in women and is the leading cause of death from gynaecological malignancies in Western countries. In...

Uterine Papillary Serous Carcinoma—The KK Hospital Experience

Endometrial carcinoma comprises a morphologically heterogeneous group of tumours. Several authors during the 1960s and 1970s described an unusual variant of endometrial cancer containing...

Radiotherapy as Local Adjuvant Treatment for Endometrial Carcinoma—A Review of 45 Patients

Radiotherapy as an adjunct to surgery has long been used in the management of endometrial carcinoma with the intent to improve local tumour control...

Outcome of Obstructive Uropathy After Pelvic Irradiation in Patients with Carcinoma of the Uterine Cervix

Radiotherapy is the mainstay treatment for locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix. It is also administered as an adjuvant therapy to patients deemed at...

The Surgical Management of Colorectal Complications from Irradiation for Carcinoma of the Cervix

Radiation bowel injury is a significant clinical problem because of the technical difficulties of surgery. Among the more common causes is radiation of carcinoma...

Adjuvant Chemotherapy in “High Risk” Patients after Wertheim Hysterectomy—10-year Survivals

Wertheim radical hysterectomy has today become an accepted method of management of stage IB and early stage IIA cervical carcinoma, particularly in young patients...

A Review of Patients with High-risk Carcinoma of the Cervix Treated with Combined Surgery and Postoperative Radiotherapy

It is generally accepted that early stage invasive carcinoma of the cervix, stage I to stage IIA disease, can be treated with equal effectiveness...

Outcome of Early Cervical Carcinoma Treated by Wertheim Hysterectomy with Selective Postoperative Radiotherapy

Cancer of the cervix is the fourth most common cancer in females in Singapore after breast, colorectal and lung cancers. It forms 7.8% of...

Gynaecologic Oncology—The Next Lap

Cancer of the pelvic reproductive organs and external genitalia accounts for one in six cancers in women. It can occur in women of all...

Urinary Deoxypyridinoline is a Useful Biochemical Bone Marker for the Management of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

Postmenopausal osteoporosis is the most common cause of osteoporosis. It is heralded by the cessation of oestrogen production by the ovaries resulting in at...

Bone Mineral Density—Correlation between Quantitative Ultrasound Characteristics and Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry

Osteoporosis is well documented to be a significant determinant of the risk of fracture and its assessment in vivo has been based on various...

A Case of Accelerated Development of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy in a Woman with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus after Pregnancy

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in persons between the age of 24 and 64 years both in the US and the...

A Pilot Study of the Efficacy and Tolerability of Intralesional Recombinant Human Beta-Interferons in Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia

Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is a neoplastic disorder in which infection with sub-types of the human papillomavirus appears to play an important aetiological ro1e....

Rapid One-day Fluorescence In Situ Hybridisation in Prenatal Diagnosis Using Uncultured Amniocytes and Chorionic Villi

The most common chromosomal abnormalities in newborns are trisomy 21, trisomy 18, trisomy 13, and monosomy X, with incidences of 1/800, 1/8,000, 1/20,000, and...

A Preliminary Study of the Immunohistochemical Detection of a Novel Tumour Marker, 22-1-1 Antigen, in Gynaecological Cancer Specimens

Monoclonal antibodies expressed against specific tumour cells can play a useful role in the study and management of such cancers. Such antibodies have been...

Prognostic Factors in Endometrial Carcinoma

In the United States of America, endometrial carcinoma is the most common cancer of the female genital tract and has an annual incidence of...

Factors Affecting Success in an Embryo Cryopreservation Programme

The first pregnancy resulting from the thaw and transfer of cryopreserved pre-embryos was reported in 1983 by Trounson and his team, in Melbourne, Australia....

Hyperlipidaemia during Normal Pregnancy, Parturition and Lactation

Increase in the plasma lipid fractions in normal pregnancy have been described but irregularity of sampling, difference in materials studied (whole blood, serum, and...

An Unusual Tumour Metastasis to the Cervix

A 55-year-old Chinese lady had a left mastectomy in April 1995 for an invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast. Axillary lymph node metastases were...

Clinical Drug Evaluation: The Regulatory Perspectives

Evaluating new drugs for marketing approval is a highly specialised and knowledge-intensive activity. This is especially so if the intention is to conduct quality,...

Genetics of Male Infertility: Role of Androgen Receptor Mutations and Y-Microdeletions

Three to four per cent of men have severe defects in sperm production that result in infertility. Most of these men are healthy and...

Association or Agreement

Association and agreement between two factors are very different concepts, although the methods used to describe them appear similar. For example, the association between...

Microdochectomy for Single-duct Nipple Discharge

Nipple discharge is a common disturbing symptom for many women and often leads to a surgical referral. It accounts for 3% to 5% of...

Pathology of Ductal Carcinoma In situ of the Breast: A Heterogeneous Entity in Need of Greater Understanding

Breast cancer is the commonest malignancy in Singapore women, with an age-standardised rate of 46.1 per 100,000 per year and an annual increase in...

The Need for Collaboration Between Clinicians and Statisticians: Some Experience and Examples

Many areas of medical research require the application of statistical techniques. Although most clinicians are taught some statistics as part of their basic medical...

Clinical Update on Occupational Asthma

Occupational asthma is the most common occupational respiratory disease in the United Kingdom and also in Singapore. Recent estimates of the proportion of adult...

Introduction to Bayesian Methods for Medical Research

The traditional statistical approach used in most areas of medical research involves what is commonly known as frequentist statistics. Bayesian methods provide an increasingly...

Clinical Update on Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori is one of the commonest infections in human, affecting 30% to 50% of people worldwide. It is associated with the development of...

Prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Transmission from Mother to Child—A Cohort Study in Singapore

Since the onset of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic in the mid-1980s, the number of HIV-infected cases has risen sharply throughout the world....

Book Review

The above is a textbook of medicine written by Singapore doctors and published in Singapore. It is difficult not to be over-enthusiastic about it...

Obstetric Admissions to the Intensive Therapy Unit of a Tertiary Care Institution

Pregnancy is associated with physiological changes in various organ systems and complications arising from the interaction between these changes and disease processes may be...

Current Therapeutic Strategies for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is now recognised as a metabolic syndrome and although the treatment paradigm has shifted from one that focuses solely on...

Update in the Management of Stroke

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death and a leading cause of morbidity in Singapore. The number of hospital admissions for cerebrovascular disorders...

Advances in Surgical Treatment of Osteoporotic Fractures of the Spine

Osteoporosis is an important cause of fractures in the elderly. In the USA alone, at least 1.3 million fractures are attributed to osteoporosis a...

Agreement or Prediction: Asking and Answering the Right Question

In an article published in this journal, Chia discusses the difference between measuring association and agreement. In this paper, we extend the discussion to...

Age-related Macular Degeneration: What’s New

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the developed western world, accounting for approximately 50% of all cases of...

Management of Premalignant Lesions of the Cervix

Cervical cancer is one of the most common female cancers worldwide. It is ranked second only to breast cancer and in many underdeveloped countries,...

Four Pregnancies in Two Patients with Essential Thrombocythaemia—A Case Report

Essential thrombocythaemia (ET) is a rare myeloproliferative disease which manifests with an elevated platelet count. It presents predominantly in the middle-aged population, occurring slightly...

The Course of Pregnancy in a Patient with Nail-Patella Syndrome

The nail-patella syndrome (NPS) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder defined by the association of nail dysplasia, bone abnormalities and, frequently, renal disease. We...

Rheumatic Heart Diseases in Pregnancy

Rheumatic heart disease comprises acute rheumatic fever following group A beta-haemolytic streptococcal infection of the tonsillopharynx, and its long-term sequelae of heart valve fibrosis...

Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia in Pregnancy

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder in which platelets are sensitised with an antiplatelet autoantibody and then destroyed by the reticuloendothelial system.1...

Thrombophilia in Pregnancy

A clear understanding of thrombophilia is becoming increasingly important in the practice of high-risk obstetrics. In addition to their role in thromboembolic disease, there...

Current Understanding of Pre-eclampsia

Pre-eclampsia is a major cause of adverse obstetric outcome. It remains one of the leading causes of maternal mortality1 and continues to contribute significantly...

Management of Thromboembolic Disease in Pregnancy

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) refers specifically to 2 related entities: deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism. The management of arterial thrombo-embolism, in particular that...

Management of Haematologic Malignancies in Pregnancy

Malignancy complicates the course of about 1 in 1000 pregnancies and is the second leading cause of death in women of reproductive age. The...

Thyroid Diseases in Pregnancy

Abnormalities of thyroid function associated with pregnancy encompass both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. These may have been present before the onset of pregnancy, or occurred...

Outcome of Pregnancy in Asian Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Experience of a Single Perinatal Centre in Singapore

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic connective tissue disease with a reported prevalence of 5 to 100/100,000. Women are affected much more...

Pregnancy after Renal Transplantation: Experience in Singapore General Hospital

Successful renal transplantation significantly improves the sexual and reproductive functions of women with end-stage renal disease and offers the best hope for those who...

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Call for Systematic Tracing

The prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide. In Singapore, the prevalence of diabetes has increased dramatically from 4.7% in 1984 to 8.6% in 1998....

Pregnancy in Women with Idiopathic Thrombocytopaenic Purpura

Idiopathic thrombocytopaenic purpura (ITP) is the most common autoimmune haematological disorder in pregnancy. The pathophysiology of the disease is peripheral destruction of platelets mediated...

Are Maternal Deaths on the Ascent in Singapore? A Review of Maternal Mortality as Reflected by Coronial Casework from 1990 to 1999

It is said that, worldwide, over half a million maternal deaths occur annually. This might well be a conservative estimate, given the difficulties inherent...

Medical Disorders in Pregnancy—The Challenges Ahead

Nowhere is the fate of two individuals more closely intertwined than that of the mother and her fetus. Pregnancy is a unique state where...

Clinical Update on Managing the Obstructed Airway

Maintaining a patent upper airway is the first principle in resuscitation and acute care. This is usually carried out by anaesthesiologists, emergency medicine physicians...

Clinical Update on Deep Vein Thrombosis in Singapore

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and its acute complication–pulmonary embolism (PE), is one of the most important preventable causes of death in hospital patients. It...

Statins and Bone Morphogenetic Proteins: New Pathways in Bone Formation

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem causing considerable morbidity and mortality in Asian women. It is estimated that half of the world’s hip...

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia and Chronic Lung Disease of Infancy: Strategies for Prevention and Management

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and chronic lung disease of infancy (CLD) are two chronic pulmonary conditions which are the result of incomplete resolution or abnormal...

Clinical Update on Osteoporosis

Fractures, the most serious complication of osteoporosis, are increasing and constitute an evolving public health problem in terms of disability, mortality and cost. A...

Bone Fragility in Asian and Caucasian Men

Bone fragility in men has been receiving greater attention during the last few years. Epidemiological studies have been done in Caucasian and Asian populations.This...

Steroid-induced Osteoporosis

Corticosteroids are known to affect bone through multiple pathways (Fig. 1), influencing both bone formation and bone resorption, and these mechanisms have been reviewed....

Osteoporosis in Relation to Menopause

Singapore has a rapidly ageing population. In 1990, only 6% of the population was above the age of 65 years but this percentage of...

Differentiation of Malignant Vertebral Collapse from Osteoporotic and Other Benign Causes Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

An elderly patient presenting with backache and vertebral collapse on plain X-ray is a common clinical scenario and a diagnostic challenge. It is difficult...

Osteoporotic Hip Fractures in Singapore—Costs and Patient’s Outcome

Singapore is facing a rapidly ageing population. Osteoporosis, which is an age-related illness, will become an increasing problem. Osteoporotic hip fracture, because of the...

Burch Colposuspension: Review of Perioperative Complications at a Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore

Genuine stress incontinence (GSI) is the most common cause of female urinary incontinence. When conservative treatment fails, surgery is indicated. Open Burch colposuspension is...

Endometrioid Adenocarcinoma of the Uterus: Surgico-Pathological Correlations and Role of Pelvic Lymphadenectomy

Endometrial cancer is the most common female genital malignancy in industralised countries today. Despite the overall favourable prognosis in this neoplasia, survival is associated...

FIGO Stage 1B2 Cervical Carcinoma – The KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital Experience

Important prognostic factors in stage 1B cervical carcinoma include primary tumour diameter, nodal metastases, depth of stromal invasion, lymph-vascular invasion, microscopic parametrial extension and...

Bowel Surgery for Epithelial Ovarian Cancer – An Early Case Series

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death in patients with gynaecological malignancies in Singapore and developed countries, the main reason being the...

Pregnancy Following Embolisation of Uterine Arteriovenous Malformation – A Case Report

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the uterus are rare but potentially life-threatening lesions. The common presentation is vaginal bleeding and, if not diagnosed correctly, can...

A Case Series of Gastrointestinal Abnormalities in Fetuses with Echogenic Bowel Detected During the Antenatal Period

Although the presence of fetal echogenic bowel (EB) has been largely regarded as benign, it has been viewed as a soft marker for various...

Audit of ‘Crash’ Emergency Caesarean Sections Due to Cord Prolapse in Terms of Response Time and Perinatal Outcome

Umbilical cord prolapse is an uncommon intrapartum event with a reported incidence of 1 in 160 to 714 deliveries. Predisposing factors include fetal malpresentation,...

Quality Control Assurance in National Screening Programmes for Cervical Cancer

The National Health Service (NHS) was established in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1948, against a post-war background of poverty and ill health. The...

Contemporary Management of Fibroids

Fibroids are the most common, solid benign pelvic tumours occurring in about 30% of women beyond the age of 30. They are asymptomatic in...

Investigating the Infertile Couple

Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after 1 to 2 years of unprotected intercourse. In general, an estimated 84% of all women...

Use of Hormone Replacement Therapy in the Asymptomatic Postmenopausal Woman: What is the Current Evidence?

The understanding of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for postmenopausal women has undergone dramatic change since the publication of the results of the Women’s Health...

Fetal Cells in Maternal Blood: State of the Art for Non-Invasive Prenatal Diagnosis

Without prenatal diagnosis, 1 in 50 babies are born with serious physical or mental handicap, and as many as 1 in 30 with some...

Human Papillomavirus Triage of Patients with Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance on Cervical Papanicolaou Smear

Cervical cancer affects >400,000 women a year worldwide, and represents a significant health issue for women. In the United States (US) however, screening programmes...

Screening for Chromosomal Anomalies: First or Second Trimester, Biochemical or Ultrasound?

A chromosome abnormality contributes significantly to fetal loss during pregnancy, and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The contribution of chromosomal abnormalities to fetal loss decreases...

Should Doctors Perform an Elective Caesarean Section on Request?

Caesarean sections performed without medical indication, better known as maternal request caesarean sections, have generated intense debate in recent times. While uncommon in the...

Recent Advances in Obstetrics and Gynaecology

The science and art of providing quality health care to women has made tremendous strides in recent years. In the subspecialties of Obstetrics and...

Imaging-guided Bone Biopsy

Biopsy may be performed at surgery (open biopsy) or percutaneously (closed biopsy). Percutaneous bone biopsies are usually performed under imaging guidance using a variety...

Carcinoma of the Cervix: Role of MR Imaging

In females with cancer, cervical carcinoma is second to breast cancer in both incidence and mortality worldwide. About 465,000 new cases are diagnosed each...

MR Imaging of the Fetal Brain and Spine: A Maturing Technology

The introduction of a new diagnostic test into a clinical arena goes through a number of stages. The first stage is technical development.This article...

The Use and Abuse of Steroids in Perinatal Medicine

Preterm birth, delivery prior to 37 weeks of gestational age, accounts for a major and disproportionate amount of infant and neonatal morbidity and mortality....

Changing Trends in Indications for Caesarean Sections in a Tertiary Hospital

Increasing rates of caesarean deliveries have received widespread attention in recent years and has increased widespread discussion in the public domain. The ideal caesarean...

Obstetric Cholestasis: Current Opinions and Management

Obstetric cholestasis (OC) is a pregnancy-specific liver disorder. It is also known by other names, such as pruritus gravidarum, recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy...

Advances in Imaging in Prenatal Diagnosis and Fetal Therapy

Technology in sonography has advanced tremendously in recent years, contributing to improvements in clinical applications for prenatal diagnosis and fetal therapy. These include transvaginal...

Factors Influencing Fetal Growth

Birth weight remains one of the most important measures we have of the health status of a population, being a strong predictor of both...

Surgical Management of Colorectal Metastases to the Liver

Colorectal carcinoma is the second commonest cancer in both males and females in Singapore, accounting for about 15% of all cancer cases. The liver...

The Diagnosis and Management of Hypercalcaemia

Hypercalcaemia is a relatively common clinical problem with the widespread use of routine biochemical screening. Population studies have suggested a prevalence of 3% in...

Improving the Uptake of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Antenatal Screening in a Primary Healthcare Setting

Since the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first diagnosed in Singapore in 1985, its incidence rose from 15 cases in 1988 to 226 in...

Labour epidural practice in a tertiary training centre

Dear Editor,Labour analgesia provided through the central neuraxial approach is offered for parturients who are in their active stage of labour, usually after 2–4cm...

Evaluation of a Bedside Test for Phosphorylated Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-1 in Preterm Labour

The diagnosis of preterm labour poses a problem. Preterm labour accounts for about 50% of preterm births; however, most data reveal that only about...

Inaugural College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists Lecture: Recent Developments in Obstetric Care and Maternal Fetal Medicine in Singapore

Has it done any good to pregnancy outcome as promised?This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top...

The Importance of High Resolution Chromosome Analysis in the Diagnosis of Birth Defects: Case Reports of Holoproscencephaly and Cystic Hygroma

Optimal chromosome preparation is a function of many factors. These include cell density culture initiation, optimal time for harvest, concentration and exposure duration to...

Tailoring the Field and Indication of Adjuvant Pelvic Radiation for Patients with FIGO Stage Ib Lymph Nodes-Negative Cervical Carcinoma Following Radical Surgery Based on the GOG Score – A Pilot Study

Although no significant survival difference exists between primary surgery and radiotherapy (RT) for the treatment of FIGO stage Ib cervical cancer, radical surgery is...

A Case of Cystic Leiomyoma Mimicking an Ovarian Malignancy

Uterine leiomyomas are the most common gynaecological tumour. Typical appearances of leiomyomas are easily recognised on imaging.This article is available only as a PDF....

Marijuana in Pregnancy

Marijuana has been used for thousands of years for both medical and recreational purposes. Because the pharmacological actions of marijuana are complex and include...

Abnormal Liver Function Tests in the Symptomatic Pregnant Patient: The Local Experience in Singapore

The diagnostic work-up of abnormal liver function tests (LFT) in pregnancy is challenging, as the conditions peculiar to pregnancy have to be considered in...

Twin Births in Singapore: A Population-Based Study Using the National Birth Registry

Twin studies are regarded as one of the better ways to study the effects and significance of gene, environment and interactions of both. The...

Is it Possible to Slow the Progression of Myopia?

The rates of myopia, including high myopia , have been reported to be rising to epidemic proportions in Asia and solutions to this huge...

The Effectiveness of Transvaginal Anterior Colporrhaphy Reinforced with Polypropylene Mesh in the Treatment of Severe Cystoceles

Using the Baden-Walker halfway system, Grade 4 cystoceles are defined as extrusions of the bladder base beyond the vaginal introitus with patient straining maximally...

Book Review

This handbook is written by 3 obstetricians and gynaecologists based at the KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital, Singapore. It is an excellent book that...

Recurrent Non-immune Fetal Hydrops: A Case Report

The incidence of non-immune hydrops (NIH) has been reported to be 1/10001 and is associated with high perinatal morbidity and mortality at all gestational...

Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation Reference Database for Southeast Asian Males and Females

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) systems measuring the calcaneus are currently approved for the assessment of osteoporotic risks in Europe, Canada and the USA. A QUS...

Right Atrial Isomerism – Preponderance in Asian Fetuses. Using the Stomach-distance ratio as a Possible Diagnostic Tool for Prediction of Right Atrial Isomerism

Atrial isomerism is a disorder of lateralisation characterised by symmetric development of normally asymmetric cardiac atria and organ systems. The synonyms for these defects...

Assessment of Medical Graduates Competencies

Medical professional proficiency comprises a set of skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to efficiently accomplish the practice of medicine. The major aim of undergraduate...

Chylous Ascites in Recurrent Gynaecological Malignancies

Chylous ascites is an unusual phenomenon where there is accumulation of chyle in the peritoneal cavity. It is especially rare following treatment of gynaecological...

Placental Calcification in Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is an inherited multisystem disorder of the elastic tissue leading to skin disease as well as ocular and cardiovascular complications. Although...

Holoprosencephaly: An Antenally-diagnosed Case Series and Subject Review

Holoproscencephaly (HPE) is an uncommon congenital developmental defect of the forebrain structures to divide into separate hemispheres and ventricles during embryogenesis. The prevalence rate...

Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, and Selenium Levels in Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis. Can Magnesium Play a Key Role in Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a condition in which an increased risk of fracture takes place due to a reduction of bone mineral content. It occurs as...

Laparoscopic Heller’s Cardiomyotomy for Achalasia of the Cardia in a Pregnant Patient

Laparoscopy was first used for the evaluation of acute abdominal pain in pregnancy by gynaecologists in 1980. The most commonly reported laparoscopic procedure during...

Spontaneous Vaginal Expulsion of a Filshie Clip

Laparoscopic sterilisation is a common method of permanent contraception. The Filshie clip system is a safe and effective method of female sterilisation.This article is...

Care of Women in Menopause: Sexual Function, Dysfunction and Therapeutic Modalities

Menopause is a life change described by biological alterations occurring in the context of important social changes. There is an increasing appreciation for the...

An Unexpected Presentation of Endometriosis – A “Parasitic” Cyst of the Bowel in a Menopausal Woman on Hormone Therapy

Endometriosis commonly affects women during their reproductive years and may involve any organ. Although rare, endometriosis has been reported in postmenopausal women and is...

Menopause, Hormone Therapy and Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity among postmenopausal women. Up to the age of 50 years, the prevalence of coronary artery disease...

The Influence of Maternal Ethnic Group and Diet on Breast Milk Fatty Acid Composition

Human milk is the ideal food which provides the complete nutritional requirements for infants during the first 6 months of life. The lipids accumulated...

A Clinicopathologic Study of Uterine Smooth Muscle Tumours of Uncertain Malignant Potential (STUMP)

Smooth Muscle Tumours of Undetermined Malignant Potential or STUMPs are interesting tumours from both the standpoint of histological diagnosis and classification as well as...

Obstetric Outcomes of Influenza A H1N1 (2009) Infection in Pregnancy – Experience of a Singapore Tertiary Hospital

Influenza A H1N1 (2009) is a new viral strain containing gene segments from human, swine and avian lineages. Soon after reports of human cases...

Inadvertent Use of Bevacizumab to Treat Choroidal Neovascularisation During Pregnancy: A Case Report

The recognition that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD) has led to...

Emerging Trends in Breastfeeding Practices in Singaporean Chinese Women: Findings from a Population-based Study

The health benefits of breast milk have been well documented, with positive implications for infants’ metabolic, immunologic, respiratory and digestive health. The World Health...

Dilemmas in Management of Brain Tumours in Pregnancy

Brain tumours in pregnancy are rare with an incidence of 15 per 100,000 and previous reports have shown variable outcomes. We present a case...

A Unique Pair of Monozygotic Twins with Concordant Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report

Studies of monozygotic and dizygotic twins represent an important approach in estimating the relative contributions of genes and environment to the development of various...

Clinical Outcomes of High-risk Labours Monitored Using Fetal Electrocardiography

Intermittent auscultation (IA), cardiotocography (CTG), amniotic fluid colour and fetal scalp capillary blood gas analysis are currently accepted standards for intrapartum fetal monitoring. According...

Microsurgical Reversal of Sterilisation – Is This Still Clinically Relevant Today?

Different contraceptive options are available today; however, tubal sterilisation is still one of the most prevailing contraceptive alternatives. Locally, many prefer mechanically occluding the...

Normative Data for Quantitative Calcaneal Ultrasound in Asian Children

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is currently the gold standard for the assessment of bone mineral density (BMD). It is the commonest tool used...

Neonatal Outcome of the Late Preterm Infant (34 to 36 Weeks): The Singapore Story

Neonatologists were caught looking the other way in the early part of the millennium. While they were keenly following the progress of extreme preterms...

Are Pregnant Women Adequately Equipped for Autonomy in Pregnancy Screening?

The concept of first trimester screening (FTS) to evaluate the risk of fetal aneuploidies was first introduced in 1997 by Orlandi et al. The...

Prenatal Diagnosis of Chromosomal Abnormalities—Shifting Paradigm

It is very likely that in 10 years time, invasive prenatal diagnostic tests like amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS) will join the club...

Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in Malaysian infants

Vitamin D deficiency, a worldwide health problem, is also prevalent in tropical countries. It is estimated that 15% of the world’s population are either...

Tackling osteoporosis and fragility fractures in Singapore

A shift in worldwide population ageing demographics has occurred in the 21st century. The longevity miracle is most keenly felt in Singapore, a young...

Maternal obesity and risk of adverse obstetric outcomes in Malaysia

Obesity during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of adverse health outcomes such as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), hypertension and preeclampsia. Unlike the well-known...

Risk factors and outcomes of uterine rupture in Singapore: Emerging trends

Uterine rupture is a catastrophic life-threatening complication of pregnancy with associated high maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. The incidence of uterine rupture varies...

Uterine rupture in Singapore: Trends and lessons learnt

Uterine rupture is arguably one of the most dreaded acute obstetric complications in obstetrics. Synonymous with significant maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality risks,...

Cervical screening in foreign domestic workers in Singapore

Cervical cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer in many countries in Southeast Asia, with a cumulative age-standardised incidence rate (ASRI) of 17.2 per...