Definition of Low Back Pain Low back pain (LBP) is defined as pain, muscle tension or stiffness localized below the costal margin and above the inferior gluteal folds, with or without leg pain (sciatica). “Diagnostic triage” after excluding non-spinal causes of low back pain classifies LBP into 3 broad categories:…
Category: PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS
Medical knowledge in bullet points with understandable language, simplified images and graspable mnemonics.
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
Radiation cystitis : Diagnosis, prevention and management
Cause of radiation cystitis: Bladder in the radiation field (treatment of pelvic malignancies like prostate, cervical, colorectal) Epidemiology of radiation cystitis: Incidence: 23% to 80% (variability due to variability in type and dosing of radiotherapy among different medical subspecialities) Incidence of severe hematuria: 5-8% Mean duration for developing radiation cystitis:…
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
Surgical Anatomy of Stomach
GASTROESOPHAGEAL JUNCTION (CARDIA) It is the junction between esophagus and cardia of stomach Histologically: Mucosal transition from squamous to columnar epithelium Functionally: High pressure zone (Lower esophageal sphincter or LES) – Normally, LES is intraperitoneal, >2 cm long, and has a resting pressure >6 mmHg; not an anatomical sphincter but a…
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
Axillary Lymph Node Dissection
A) Indications: Clinical or radiological evidence of involvement of axillary nodes Microscopically positive sentinel node(s) due to metastasis from primary malignant tumor In sentinel node negative: 98 % accurate in predicting that the other nodes are negative In sentinel node positive: possibility of microscopic disease in any of the remaining lymph nodes is 15–30…
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
BCG for Urinary Bladder Cancer and BCG sepsis
The objectives of intravesical therapy in bladder cancer is to: avoid post-TURB (Transurethral resection of bladder) implantation of tumor cells eradicate residual disease prevent tumor recurrence delay or reduce tumor progression Indications of BCG in bladder cancer: Intravesical treatment and prophylaxis of bladder CIS Prophylaxis of primary or recurrent stage Ta and/or…
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
Principles of Chemotherapy
Master the knowledge of clinically relevant cell cycle to understand the principles of chemotherapy. Tumors that are highly responsive to chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., testicular cancer, lymphomas) tend to have a very rapid doubling time compared to tumors that are less responsive to chemotherapy (e.g., pancreatic and prostate cancers). The tumor doubling time of metastases…
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
Chest Tube Insertion or Tube Thoracostomy
Indications of chest tube insertion Pneumothorax: In any ventilated patient (positive airway pressure will force air into the pleural cavity and produce tension pneumothorax) Tension pneumothorax after initial needle thoracocentesis Persistent or Recurrent pneumothorax after simple aspiration Large secondary spontaneous pneumothorax in patients >50 years Pleural effusion: Malignant pleural effusion…
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
NG tube insertion
Indications Gastric decompression Gavage (feeding) Gastric lavage (irrigation or dilution of gastric contents) Sampling of the gastric contents for analysis Sometimes used to instil air into the stomach to detect a gastric perforation on erect CXR Contraindications Basilar skull fractures (Risk of NG reaching brain) Facial fractures (risk of cribiform…