13th Decemer 2022, NIA Diagnostic Imaging
Pelvic pain is a common presentation in general practice. It becomes a little bit more complicated if that occurs during the first trimester of pregnancy. To the usual gynaecological and non-gynaecological causes, we have to add the other obstetric causes of pelvic pain. The obstetric causes during the 1st trimester can be a serious concern and should be treated as an urgent matter.…
14th September 2022, Dr Chee L Khoo
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) will affect up to 1 in 3 of our patients with diabetes. It is a sad statistic but it’s even more scary in women. In fact, DR is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in women of reproductive age. Much of the risk can be minimised or prevented in primary care.…
11th June 2022, Dr Chee L Khoo
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) will affect at least 1 in 3 of our patients with diabetes. Did you know that DR is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in women of reproductive age? Further, the progression continues up to 12 months postpartum. Type 1 diabetes is on the increase and young type 2 diabetes is definitely on the rise.…
30th April 2022, Spectrum Medical Imaging
Women who are in their first trimester of pregnancy have two options for screening for structural abnormalities and chromosomal abnormalities such as Down’s, Edwards or Patau syndrome. While it not necessary to perform both, we need to know which test exclude what abnormalities. Spectrum offers both and we need to understand both tests for that we can discuss them with our patients.…
18th August 2021, Spectrum Medical Imaging
We were all taught that we should always see it for ourselves and trust no one when it comes to history and examination. We cannot rely on third party information but sometimes, we have to. When we have to refer patient for imaging, we need to ensure that we can trust the provider and have faith in their experience and quality of reporting.…
7th August 2021, Dr Chee L Khoo
It is always difficult for pregnant women to decide whether to have the Covid-19 vaccine during pregnancy. Understandably, they are concerned about the safety of the vaccine administered during pregnancy. When the pandemic started last year, there were some studies which suggest that Covid-19 during pregnancy is associated with “significantly” poor maternal and offspring outcomes.…
13th February 2021, Dr Chee L Khoo
As often occurs with new medications and vaccines, pregnant individuals were excluded from the clinical trials for these vaccines. As the vaccine roll out begins, women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant will want to discuss the safety of the vaccines with their GP. We better be up to date with the relevant issues so that we can have a meaningful discussion with our patient.…
25th October 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo
Although our numbers of new Covid-19 infections and community transmission is pretty good in comparison with most other countries in the world, it isn’t zero. This is as good as it gets for at least the next 12 months. One of the scariest things is transmission of the virus to the newborn if the pregnant mother has the Covid-19 infection.…
14th August 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo
Most women would prefer not to take any medications during the pregnancy for fear of any potential teratogenic effects on the foetus. However, for some women, the use of anti-depressants is necessary. Managing these mental disorders during pregnancy and the post-partum period can be challenging (1-2) but effective management can maintain maternal and infant health (3), improve maternal prenatal health care practices (4) and improve maternal-infant attachment (5).…
Pregnancy medical imaging can provide vital diagnostic information about a developing baby including gestational age, checking for multiple pregnancies, congenital anomalies and/or problems with the placenta, monitoring foetal position and growth, and the level of amniotic fluid.
Who would have thought that the radiologist is now a friend of GPs when we look after pregnant women. Radiologists are key members of clinical teams who frequently make the first diagnosis of many medical conditions in children, adults and often the unborn baby.…
11th October 2018, Dr Chee L Khoo
Epigenetics is the modification of the DNA that changes a gene’s expression without altering the nucleotide sequence. DNA methylation and histone modifications are the most commonly studied epigenetic mechanisms by which cell structure and function can be altered during embryogenesis. The in-utero environment can lead to prenatal programming by which genes are activated or deactivated.…
April 2018, Dr Chee L Khoo
Another day, another study published on the good or bad about metformin use in pregnancy. There is a lot of confusion and unknowns about the benefit or safety of metformin to the mother-to-be or to the long-term outcome of the baby. When there is a lot of conflicting data coming our way, we need to sit back and look at the overall picture of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy and its management before we can make sense of these studies.…