These registry data demonstrate that a subgroup of patients with noncancer pain experienced prolonged relief with tolerable side effects and modest need for dose escalation during long-term therapy with CR oxycodone.

Background: Injury to the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (EBSLN) can result in detrimental voice changes, the severity of which varies according to the voice demands of the patient. Variations in its anatomic patterns and in the rates of identification reported in the literature have discouraged thyroid surgeons from routine exploration and identification of this nerve. Inconsistent with the surgical principle of preservation of critical structures through identification, modern-day thyroidectomy surgeons still avoid the EBSLN rather than identifying and preserving it.

This long-term study has demonstrated that the RF turbinoplasty for allergic rhinitis appears to be an effective and safe tool for treating allergic rhinitis refractory to medical therapy.

Because of its lack of ionizing radiation and excellent soft-tissue contrast, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is being increasingly used in the evaluation of acute abdominal pain in the pregnant patient. Roughly 2% of all pregnancies are ectopic. Although ectopic pregnancy is usually diagnosed on the basis of a combination of clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonographic findings, it occasionally is initially identified at MR imaging. Thus, it is imperative that the radiologist should be familiar with the variable appearance of ectopic pregnancy at MR imaging and should evaluate for ectopic pregnancy at any time when (a) a patient has positive results of a pregnancy test and (b) an intrauterine pregnancy is not definitively seen. Because of potential issues of fetal safety, a conservative approach should be used for MR imaging in pregnancy. An MR imaging protocol for the evaluation of possible appendicitis in pregnant women is detailed. Specific findings that can aid in the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy are the lack of an intrauterine pregnancy, isolated hemoperitoneum, tubal masses, hematosalpinx, and interstitial masses. In the differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain in pregnancy, consideration should be given to the more unusual forms of ectopic pregnancy, such as angular pregnancy, cornual pregnancy, and abdominal pregnancy. Potential mimics of ectopic pregnancy include placental abnormalities, ovarian neoplasms, and corpus luteum cysts.