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In the genomic age, the challenges presented by various inherited conditions present a compelling argument for an interdisciplinary model of care. Cardiac arrhythmias with a genetic basis, such as long QT syndrome, require clinicians with expertise in many specialties to address the complex genetic, psychological, ethical and medical issues involved in treatment. The Montefiore–Einstein Center for CardioGenetics has been established to provide personalized, interdisciplinary care for families with a history of sudden cardiac death or an acute cardiac event. Four vignettes of patient care are presented to illustrate the unique capacity of an interdisciplinary model to address genetic, psychological, ethical and medical issues. Because interdisciplinary clinics facilitate collaboration among multiple specialties, they allow for individualized, comprehensive care to be delivered to families who experience complex inherited medical conditions. As the genetic basis of many complex conditions is discovered, the advantages of an interdisciplinary approach for delivering personalized medicine will become more evident.

The nephropathology associated with retroperitoneal fibrosis has been commonly related to compression of the ureters and hydronephrosis. This assumption has been made without the use of immunofluorescent microscopy and electron microscopy. The authors studied renal tissue from a patient with retroperitoneal fibrosis by light microscopy, immunofluorescent microscopy and electron microscopy. In addition to the gross and microscopic changes of obstructive nephropathy, histologic findings of glomerular immune-complex deposition were also present. It is postulated that in some cases of retroperitoneal fibrosis, destruction may be mediated by both obstructive and immunologic processes.

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