Ectopia cordis (EC) is a rare congenital anomaly associated with the heart positioned outside of the thoracic cavity either partially or completely. The ectopic heart can be found along a spectrum of anatomical locations, including the cervical, thoracic and abdominal regions and in most cases, it protrudes outside the chest through a split sternum. Although the first case of EC was identified during the early 1600s only 91 cases have been reported since then in the literature. This review will discuss the history and prevalence of EC, its etiology, morphology, presentation and symptoms, complications, diagnosis, treatment and management and prognosis.

Skype is a free program which enables PC users to make video calls to other users with Internet access. We carried out a prospective review of all acromioclavicular joint hook plates for lateral-third clavicle fractures over a five-year period. Functional assessment with Oxford and Constant shoulder scores were carried out using Skype and compared to outpatient review using the Bland-Altman method. Of 36 patients (mean age 36 years), 33 had a computer with a video camera, all 33 had Internet access and 22 were already users of Skype. In total 29 patients were happy to take part in Skype assessment (83%). In comparison with outpatient review, there was a mean difference in the Oxford score of -0.48 (95% confidence interval -0.84, -0.12); the mean difference for the Constant score was -0.68 (95% confidence interval -1.08, -0.29). These differences were not clinically significant, confirming that Skype can be used as an alternative to goniometry in this clinical setting. A survey showed that 93% of 29 patients surveyed preferred the use of Skype for follow-up, mainly due to the convenience and cost-saving involved. The study demonstrates the potential for this new technique in providing patients with more options for follow-up.

To systematically review the range of methods available for assessing elasticity in the prostate and to examine its use as a biomarker for prostate cancer. A systematic review of the electronic database PubMed was performed up to December 2012. All relevant studies assessing the use of elasticity as a biomarker for prostate cancer were included except those not studying human prostates or reporting a sensitivity, specificity or quantitative elasticity value. There has been much interest in the use of elasticity in the detection of prostate cancer and there have been many publications using various methods of detection. The most common method of assessment is an imaging method, called sonoelastography. Further imaging methods include ultrasound (US), three‐dimensional US and magnetic resonance elastography. These methods are reviewed for sensitivity and specificity. The other method of assessment is the mechanical method. These use quantitative elasticity values to differentiate benign from malignant areas of the prostate. This method of assessment has shown that the elasticity changes for differing Gleason grades and T stages of disease within the prostate. Quantitative elasticity values offer the potential of using ‘threshold’ elasticity values under which the prostate is benign. Tissue elasticity has great potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for prostate cancer and can be assessed using various methods. Currently transrectal sonoelastography has the most evidence supporting its use in clinical practice.

Although palpation has been successfully employed for centuries to assess soft tissue quality, it is a subjective test, and is therefore qualitative and depends on the experience of the practitioner. To reproduce what the medical practitioner feels needs more than a simple quasi-static stiffness measurement. This paper assesses the capacity of dynamic mechanical palpation to measure the changes in viscoelastic properties that soft tissue can exhibit under certain pathological conditions. A diagnostic framework is proposed to measure elastic and viscous behaviors simultaneously using a reduced set of viscoelastic parameters, giving a reliable index for quantitative assessment of tissue quality. The approach is illustrated on prostate models reconstructed from prostate MRI scans. The examples show that the change in viscoelastic time constant between healthy and cancerous tissue is a key index for quantitative diagnostics using point probing. The method is not limited to any particular tissue or material and is therefore useful for tissue where defining a unique time constant is not trivial. The proposed framework of quantitative assessment could become a useful tool in clinical diagnostics for soft tissue.