One of the Oncology Medical Officers, MM, wanted to perform a Per Rectal (PR) Examination on a patient with symptoms of prostatism, to feel for the size & consistency of the prostate gland. After positioning the patient, she realised that the patient doesn’t have an anus. He had actually undergone an operation (abdominal-perineal resection) for rectal cancer, where the rectum & anal canal were removed. This reminds me of the advice given to us in medical college by one of our clinical professors (from “Tales Out of Medical School”). “There are only two instances where you can’t perform a PR. Number one, you don’t have an index finger, and number two, the patient has no asshole.” I guess MM had a hands on experience on lesson number two.
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