Facial trauma in a medicolegal context
Facial trauma can be a major cause of morbidity, particularly in young adults. This is because the head and neck region contains the major sensory and functional organs. A major component of the morbidity is…
Categories : Articles, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Read more Somatoform Pain Disorder: Pre-accident psychological history and vulnerability and the BUT FOR test in the absence of a trigger
Somatoform disorder (SD) is defined as physical symptoms suggestive of a medical condition which are unexplained by an underlying disease or mental disorder. Somatoform symptoms are common, and mild ones, such as stress as a…
Read more Potential Medicolegal Pitfalls Arising from the Unpredictable Progression of Premalignant Conditions to Oral Cancer
It is well established that oral cavity cancer, commonly squamous cell carcinomas, develops in a two-step process involving molecular and biochemical cellular alterations. This pathological evolution can be associated with clinical changes of the affected…
Categories : Articles, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Read more Future Prospects for Patients with a History of Chronic Pain
Pain is defined as chronic when it lasts for more than three months. At this point, it stops being just a symptom and becomes a condition in its own right, although it is also associated…
Read more A Medicolegal Perspective on Burns and Scar Management
Burns occur when the body is injured by contact with a number of different agents, including heat, chemicals, electricity or radiation. A scald is also essentially a burn, but specifically one caused by hot liquids…
Categories : Articles, Plastic Surgery
Read more Unusual patterns of spread of the mechanical symptoms of chronic back pain and their medicolegal implications
Back pain is one of the commonest reasons for a patient to visit their doctor, and it is estimated that around 80% of adults will suffer from it at least once during their lifetime. Back…
Read more The Medicolegal Implications of Placebo Use in Pain Medicine
A placebo is any medication or procedure with no known therapeutic effect. Placebos are often given for the psychological, rather than physiological, benefit of the patient and are also used as a control measure in…
Read more The Medicolegal Challenges of Brachial Plexus Injuries at Birth
The brachial plexus is formed from the connections of the spinal nerves arising from the vertebrae C5 to T1. Once they leave the arise from the spinal roots, these major nerves branch into a complex…
Categories : Articles, Plastic Surgery
Read more The Use of Neuroimaging in Pain Medicine
The phenomenon of acute pain serves two main purposes. First, it acts as a warning system to the body that the risk from harm is imminent. Second, it indicates that an injury has already occurred,…
Read more A Medicolegal Perspective on Salivary Gland Diseases
The salivary glands, which are divided into the major and minor glands, are extremely important structures. The major glands comprise the parotid, submandibular and sublingual glands. These contain acinar cells, which are chiefly responsible for…
Categories : Articles, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
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