Health Canada has followed the US government’s lead and issued an advisory on the potential danger of morcellators, tools used primarily in gynecological laparoscopic surgery. However, there is disagreement in Canada over whether an advisory is necessary. Morcellators are used in laparoscopic surgery to grind up the uterine tissue or fibroids so they can be removed through tiny 1.5 cm incisions...

Transplantation of pancreatic islets represents a clinical therapeutic option to preserve and/or restore b-cell function in patients with diabetes (1,2). The source of the islets is the patient’s own pancreas (autologous, islet autotransplantation [IAT]) when the goal is preserving pancreatic endocrine function in pediatric and adult individuals undergoing total pancreatectomy due to pancreatit...

OBJECTIVE To provide recommendations regarding the best management of fibroids in couples who present with infertility. Usual and novel treatment options for fibroids will be reviewed with emphasis on their applicability in women who wish to conceive. OPTIONS Management of fibroids in women wishing to conceive first involves documentation of the presence of the fibroid and determination of li...

Congenital arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the female pelvis is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition. An unusual presentation of AVM involving the vagina, abdominal wall, spleen and thigh, with profuse hemorrhage from a vaginal ulcer is described. Doppler, real time ultrasound and computerized tomography were useful in confirmation and delineation of the extensive AVM in this c...

Many female patients present with malignant and non-malignant conditions whose treatment causes infertility. Women who are diagnosed with neoplastic diseases before1 or during2 their reproductive years and undergo ootoxic therapies,3 those who undergo an oophorectomy due to non-malignant disorders,4 those of reproductive age at risk for premature menopause associated with genetic disorders, and...