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MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: Diverticular disease is a condition occurring when pouches form toward the end of the large intestine. Your large intestine, also known as your colon, includes the secum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon, rectum, and anal canal. The wall of your colon has four main layers, the mucosa, the submucosa, a muscular layer, and the outer serosa. Blood vessels, called vasa recta, supply blood to your colon. Although the cause is unknown, diverticulosis is associated with a low diet, constipation, and frequent straining with bowel movements. Constipation causes increased pressure inside your colon. Increased pressure may cause the mucosa and submucosa to permeate through a weakened area of the wall of your colon and form a diverticulum. Diverticulosis occurs when you have these diverticula, but often no other symptoms. In contrast, diverticulitis occurs when the diverticula become inflamed. The usual symptoms of diverticulitis are lower left abdominal pain, fever, constipation or diarrhea, and decreased appetite. Diverticulitis may develop an accumulation of pus called an abscess. Excessive swelling and accumulation of pus may lead to the formation of a perforation, allowing pus and other material to escape into your abdomen. This is a very serious condition and requires immediate medical attention. If you have a severe case of diverticulitis, you may need to have a procedure to drain an abscess. If the condition persists, you may require surgery to remove the affected part of your colon. During your procedure, your surgeon will pass the remaining end of your colon through your abdominal wall, creating an opening called a stoma. After your colon heals, it can be reattached to your rectum. The main treatment for diverticulosis is increased consumption of fiber-rich foods, to soften and add bulk to stools, which helps stimulate the colon to contract and eliminate them. Other treatments for diverticulitis include a clear liquid diet, and oral antibiotics.
"Medical illustrations are essential evidence in personal injury litigation and MLA is simply the best I've found at producing high-quality illustrations. Your illustrators are not only first-class artists, but creative and responsive. Your turn around time is as good as it gets. My clients have won over $60 million in jury verdicts and I can't recall a case which did not include one of your exhibits. On behalf of those clients, thanks and keep up the great work!"
"It is my experience that it's much more effective to show a jury what
happened than simply to tell a jury what happened. In this day and age where
people are used to getting information visually, through television and
other visual media, I would be at a disadvantage using only words.
I teach a Litigation Process class at the University of Baltimore Law Schooland use [Medical Legal Art's] animation in my class. Students always saythat they never really understood what happened to [to my client] until theysaw the animation.
Animations are powerful communication tools that should be used wheneverpossible to persuade juries."
Andrew G. Slutkin Snyder Slutkin & Kopec Baltimore, MD
"At 3 PM it hit me--I needed exhibits of a tracheostomy, a coronary artery
bypass and a deep vein thrombosis--all in time for a for-trial video
deposition the next day. The Doe Report had each exhibit on line. In
addition, I ran across an exhibit I hadn't even thought of: reduced ejection
fraction after a heart attack. Because this was a video deposition, I could
use the e-mail version of the medical exhibit, print it on my color copier,
and let the camera zoom in. For $400, less than one blow-up by one of The
Doe Report's competitors, I got four first-rate exhibits in less than a day.
The Doe Report saved me time and money."
"Medical illustrations are essential during trial for any medical malpractice case. The people at MLA have the uncanny ability of creating medical illustrations that simplify the most complex of medical concepts and human anatomy to a lay audience. The exhibits of MLA allow experts to easily describe complex concepts and human anatomy in a manner that could
not be done otherwise.
In addition, their custom illustrations show in great detail the extent of
injuries suffered and the devastating effects they have had on the client's
anatomy. These custom illustration can show, side by side, the body before
and after a catastrophic injury. The effect of this juxtaposition is
unmatched by any testimony that can be adduced at the time of trial.
Even jurors after trial have commented on the ease with which they grasp
medical concepts and anatomy once the MLA exhibits were introduced and
used by my experts. Even judges who have "seen it all" are thoroughly
impressed by the detail and sophistication of the illustrations.
Medical Legal Art creates medical demonstrative evidence (medical
illustrations, drawings, pictures, graphics, charts, medical animations,
anatomical models, and interactive presentations) for use during legal
proceedings, including research, demand letters, client conferences,
depositions, arbitrations, mediations, settlement conferences, mock jury
trials and for use in the courtroom. We do not provide legal or medical
advice. If you have legal questions, you should find a lawyer with whom you
can discuss your case issues. If you have medical questions, you should seek the advice of a healthcare provider.