Houston Medical Malpractice Law Blog

Many Texas men may be concerned about the dangers posed by testicular cancer. Like other forms of cancer, it is a progressive disease. It can become worse and spread throughout the body, making treatment more difficult, when a diagnosis is delayed or missed. In most cases, people become aware of it when they find a painless, hardened lump inside the testicle. Some men may conduct testicular self-exams on a regular basis in order to detect lumps and other changes. Like other types of lumps found throughout the body, most are not malignant. However, in order to ensure that any testicular tumor is benign, a medical examination is necessary.

In most cases, physicians will first use ultrasound to examine the area for the presence of a tumor. They may also order blood tests to detect certain substances called tumor markers, which are more likely to appear when a person has cancer. A surgical biopsy or removal of the affected testicle may be performed if cancer is strongly suspected or confirmed. Of course, if cancer is found, it can also be important to check to see if it has spread.

In Texas and across the country, medical misdiagnosis may be a largely unrecognized crisis. Every year, roughly 12 million people are affected by some kind of medical diagnostic error. While many of these situations are quickly resolved and do little long-term harm, other cases are much more serious. Up to 80,000 Americans could be losing their lives annually due to worsened health conditions and other complications caused by mistaken diagnoses. Patients may receive incorrect treatment, causing dangerous side effects, or they may not receive treatment for their illness, resulting in worsened symptoms.

When progressive diseases like cancer are involved, the risks are particularly great. The failure to diagnose cancer may mean that a patient loses out on all of the benefits of early diagnosis and treatment. In many cases, the cancer is only discovered when the patient is too ill for treatment to be successful. While some medical errors may be difficult to prevent, others could have been avoided if the physician had performed their job properly. Doctors should correctly evaluate tests/imaging and take patient complaints seriously.

Texas residents battling neurodegenerative disorders may be interested in new technology that could help doctors distinguish better between two progressive forms of the disease. Both Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy (MSA) present similar early symptoms, but they require different treatments. The technology will help patients with neurodegenerative disorders get the treatment they need in a shorter period of time.

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston looked at deposits of a protein that are responsible for both disorders forming. The proteins attach themselves to the cells in different ways. Though both disorders present with tremors, shaking, stiffness and loss of balance, MSA progresses quickly and causes brain cells to die. The only way to differentiate between Parkinson's disease and MSA in the past was by monitoring symptoms to see if they progressed to a worsened condition.

Infection is one of the biggest post-surgical complications people experience. In the ordinary course of events, medical personnel properly monitor you and catch the infection before it progresses into a life-threatening situation, such as sepsis.

If those attending to your medical care fail to meet the minimum standard of care you deserve, then your infection may go unchecked until it does turn into sepsis, which can quickly put your life at risk. By the time doctors correctly diagnose you with sepsis or septic shock, you will more than likely require care in the intensive care unit for an undetermined amount of time.