In the previous two volumes of this series, we presented classic problems in internal medicine as illustrated by actual cases cared for in our institution. It has been gratifying for us to see the interest that these volumes have generated with students and trainees. We remain committed to the case method of instruction, and believe that there is no better method to learn medicine than to have an individual patient problem as the basis for study of pathophysiology, natural history, diagnosis and management. We hope that our readers find this third volume as enjoyable and instructive as the editors found it. Juan M. Bowen, MD Ernest L. Mazzaferri, MD, FACP xiii Acknowledgement The editors are grateful to Jeff Smith and Jenny Riegler for their unflagging professionalism and patience. xiv Contents Case 1 Mitral Regurgitation - Chronic Versus Acute: Implications for Timing of Surgery * . * * * . . * . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Harisios Boudoulas, MD Charles F. Wooley, MD Advances and diagnostic imaging in a surgical technique have changed the approach to mitral valve regurgitation. This chapter provides an expert's perspective. Case 2 Cystic Fibrosis in Adults .. * ************ 36 Andrew Libertin, MD John S. Heintz, MD As children with cystic fibrosis grow into adulthood, the internist assumes a greater role in their care. Case 3 Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura . . . . . . . . . . 51 . . . Donald E. Thornton, MD Earl N. Metz, MD, FACP Patients with ITP continue to present difficulties in diagnosis and management. Two experts discuss the current approach to ITP.

Read with two objectives: first, to acquaint yourself with the current knowledge of a subject and the steps by which it has been reached; and secondly, and more important, read to understand and analyze your cases. William Osler, The Student Life What follows is a collection of cases-or more aptly, the stories of our patients and friends who have been seen at The Ohio State University Hospitals where our faculty have provided their care and about whom this volume is written. Today many fear that our patients are being moved from center stage while we are being distracted by the technology of medicine. This volume was written with patients in mind. The idea is that the most intriguing questions and the most rewarding answers begin and end at the bedside. This is a story of our patients, told by expert clinicians and spiced with commentary along the way. This volume in no way at tempts to be comprehensive. Instead, it is like the practice of medicine, scattered, somewhat disjointed, while at the same time intensely personal and focused upon whatever problem the patient brings to us. The discussions are not so much about disease entities as they are about patients with problem." The two are uniquely dif ferent. For instance, when the physician suspects hepatitis, not every imaginable cause can be actively investigated. Instead, tests and procedures are discriminate ly chosen, a part of medicine that is still more art than science."

Written by a multidisciplinary team of experts involved in the development of standards and guidelines for its management in the USA, UK, Europe and Asia, the book contains succinct and knowledgeable summaries of the management of thyroid cancer. Every chapter describes a different aspect of care, and provides clear and detailed information about caring for patients with this group of tumors.

This is an invaluable reference to health care professionals, from primary to tertiary care, involved in the management of thyroid cancer such as clinical nurse specialists, clinical psychologists, family medicine practitioners, specialists in palliative care (especially for anaplastic thyroid cancers), geneticists and surgeons, endocrinologists, oncologists, pathologists, and radiologists.

In the previous two volumes of this series, we presented classic problems in internal medicine as illustrated by actual cases cared for in our institution. It has been gratifying for us to see the interest that these volumes have generated with students and trainees. We remain committed to the case method of instruction, and believe that there is no better method to learn medicine than to have an individual patient problem as the basis for study of pathophysiology, natural history, diagnosis and management. We hope that our readers find this third volume as enjoyable and instructive as the editors found it. Juan M. Bowen, MD Ernest L. Mazzaferri, MD, FACP xiii Acknowledgement The editors are grateful to Jeff Smith and Jenny Riegler for their unflagging professionalism and patience. xiv Contents Case 1 Mitral Regurgitation - Chronic Versus Acute: Implications for Timing of Surgery * . * * * . . * . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Harisios Boudoulas, MD Charles F. Wooley, MD Advances and diagnostic imaging in a surgical technique have changed the approach to mitral valve regurgitation. This chapter provides an expert's perspective. Case 2 Cystic Fibrosis in Adults .. * ************ 36 Andrew Libertin, MD John S. Heintz, MD As children with cystic fibrosis grow into adulthood, the internist assumes a greater role in their care. Case 3 Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura . . . . . . . . . . 51 . . . Donald E. Thornton, MD Earl N. Metz, MD, FACP Patients with ITP continue to present difficulties in diagnosis and management. Two experts discuss the current approach to ITP.

The goal of this book is to provide Endocrinologists, Surgeons, Nuclear Medicine Physicians, and Radiation Oncologists with practical advice about managing patients with thyroid cancer. This book will not replace the excellent publications that focus on a highly speci?c topic or provide an exhaustive review of major s- jects from the perspective of a particular specialty. These kinds of publications will always be an important source of information for both students and expe- enced practitioners. The void that we see is the lack of a single, concise, up-- date reference that is applicable to all of the specialists who make clinical de- sions about thyroid cancer patients. Essentials of Thyroid Cancer Management will ?ll this void in a manner that is both user-friendly and technically compreh- sive. For reading ef?ciency, this book contains the minimum of text required to explain how to make sound clinical decisions in speci?c situations. We rely heavily on tables, diagrams, graphs, photographs, and other ?gures to convey this information. Subjects are addressed in a large number of chapters that each focus on a relatively narrow topic. In some cases, there is overlap between the information in multiple different chapters so the reader does not have to page back and forth between different sections of the book. As occurs in every area of medicine, there is controversy about important issues in the management of thyroid cancer.