Editor's Note, Volume 6 Issue 5

D’Arcy Little, MD, CCFP, FRCPC
Medical Director, JCCC and HealthPlexus.NET

I am pleased to introduce the next issue of the Journal of Current Clinical Care that you can add to your autumn reading list.

Drs. Ted Findlay and Amar Suchak, from the University of Calgary, present Interventional Radiology Procedures for Chronic Low Back Pain. There is an increasing availability and clinical use of interventional radiological techniques for patients with low back pain. This can be a valuable additional tool in the management of low back pain that has not responded to conservative treatment. However, the clinical indications and appropriate uses as well as cautions that apply to this treatment modality are in many cases less well understood by the primary care practitioner.

In their article, Surgical Management of Erectile Dysfunction, Drs. Stanley A. Yap, Justin J. Badal, Genevieve Sweet, Shelley Godley, and Dana Nanigian, detail different causes of ED as well as their respective studies to enhance initial surgical evaluation. An enhanced understanding of surgical options allows for referrals to be made to urologists for advanced surgical treatment of ED in patients who have failed medical therapies. Initial diagnosis and continued workup can be performed prior to consultation with a surgical specialist.

For the Dermatology Resource, Dr. Joseph M. Lam and Lisa M. Flegel, from the University of British Columbia, provide an overview of select common and uncommon causes of Hyperpigmented Lesions in Children. Hyperpigmented lesions are common in the pediatric population and identifying their etiologies can be challenging for physicians. Patients and caregivers may worry that hyperpigmented lesions are dangerous, associated with an internal illness or that they may lead to skin cancers. Having a better understanding of the causes and natural histories of these lesions may help to guide management and alleviate worry.

In his blog, Dealing with Family Strife Dr. Michael Gordon, from the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in Toronto examines the result of living with lifelong family strife that can leave scars with long-lasting negative effects on an individual and their ability to have meaningful and binding relationships with their siblings and offspring.

I hope you enjoy this latest edition. Please consider commenting or submitting an article of your own.