In September 2015 this practice was reaccredited for diagnostic ultrasound services under the stringent Commonwealth Health Standards.  We want to tell our patients that their well-being is our priority. QIP accreditation assures patients that we are committed to providing ultrasound care which meets the Standards laid down by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.

Dr O'Connor offers a range of diagnostic ultrasound services including early and late obstetric imagi...

I was recently asked to comment on the likelihood that an assault was the cause of a subsequent 12 week miscarriage. The maximum penalty in NSW for a conviction for common assault is 2 years, the maximum penalty for assault causing actual bodily harm is 5 years imprisonment and for assault causing grievous bodily harm with intent is 25 years imprisonment.

The likelihood of trauma as a cause of miscarriage in the first trimester is very low especially because the bony pelvis protects the gr...

I recently was asked to provide a report on a patient who developed a bowel rupture some 4 days after a Caesarean Section. She was an older mother on anti-depressants. On day 3 she developed right sided pain above her scar associated with abdominal distension. After she opened her bowels later that day she was discharged from hospital.

She was readmitted the following day with an obvious acute diaphragm and was found to have gas under her diaphragm on X-ray.

A general surgeon per...

An increasing number of recent requests for expert evidence seem to involve claims for brachial plexus palsy in babies as a result of shoulder dystocia. The definitions are as follows:

1. Shoulder Dystocia: (incidence 0.5-1.5% of deliveries a.Prolonged Head to Body Delivery Time >60 seconds
b. Resnik (1980) : Condition requiring special manoeuvres after failure to deliver the shoulders with downward traction
c. Arrest of spontaneous delivery due to impaction of the anterior...

One in 3 Australian women have been diagnosed with iron deficiency by age 50.This is largely caused by disorders of menstruation and pregnancy. In one study 11% of women (mostly premenopausal) without anaemia were nevertheless iron deficient. Menstrual loss of iron is approximately 1mg per day and a pregnancy, delivery and puerperium accounts for a loss of about 1000 mg.

The impact of anaemia in pregnancy includes higher rates of preterm delivery (Chinese study) spontaneous abortion, low b...