Inpatient rehabilitation outcomes in neoplastic spinal cord compression vs. traumatic spinal cord injury

Objective: To compare neurological and functional outcomes, and complications of patients with neoplastic vs traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) after in-patient rehabilitation.Design: This study is a retrospective analysis.Setting: In-patient rehabilitation unit of a tertiary research hospital.Participants: A total of 252 patients with a SCI were included; 43 with neoplastic SCI (mean age: 60.9 ± 15.7 years, 60.5% were males) and 209 with traumatic SCI (mean age: 43.1 ± 16.8 years, 71.3% were males).Outcome measures: Comparisons were made of demographic characteristics, etiology, American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale, functional independence measurement (FIM) and Functional Ambulation Categories (FAC) scores, length of stay (LOS), bladder independence, medical comorbidities and complications in both groups.Results: Patients with neoplastic SCI were significantly older than those with traumatic SCI (P < 0.01). No difference was present between the groups in terms of sex and lesion level (P > 0.05). Incomplete SCI was significantly higher in the neoplastic group when compared with the traumatic group (P < 0.01). The LOS was significantly shorter in the neoplastic group than traumatic group (34.8 ± 41.03 vs. 60.02 ± 53.1, P < 0.01). There were no differences in the admission FIM scores (69.3 ± 24.7 vs. 58.7 ± 18.9, P > 0.05), discharge FIM scores (82.1 ± 25.1 vs. 74.02 ± 23.3, P > 0.05) and FIM efficiencies (0.43 ± 0.72 vs. 0.36 ± 0.51, P > 0.05) for the neoplastic and traumatic groups, respectively. However, neoplastic SCI patients demonstrated lower FIM gains compared to traumatic patients (12.9 ± 11.9 vs. 15.4 ± 15.2, P < 0.05). During rehabilitation, urinary tract infection (48.4% vs. 69.4%) and decubitus ulcer (11.6% vs. 35.9%) were significantly more common in the traumatic group than the neoplastic group (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Neoplastic SCI patients who commonly present at rehabilitation units exhibit different characteristics from traumatic SCI patients but the rehabilitation results are similar. Similar functional development can be achieved in a shorter period of time with inpatient rehabilitation in the neoplastic SCI group.     

Comparison of ultrasonographic findings in spontaneous abortions with normal and abnormal karyotypes

To determine whether ultrasonographic findings can predict the karyotype of spontaneous abortions, 137 pregnancies (54 spontaneous, 83 assisted ovulatory cycles) that subsequently aborted and had chromosome analysis performed on the products of conception were studied ultrasonographically. Transvaginal ultrasound was performed using an Acuson 128XP/10 with 7.5 MHz probe. The numbers of empty gestational sacs, small and normal for gestational size, embryonic poles and embryos with documented cardiac activity were calculated. The frequency of each of these findings in pregnancies with normal and abnormal karyotypes was compared. Of the 137 spontaneous abortions, 51 had normal chromosome analyses and 86 had abnormal karyotypes (68 aneuploidies and 18 polyploidies). Ultrasonographic findings in the 51 karyotypically normal pregnancies included 16 (31%) with empty gestational sacs, and 35 (69%) with embryonic poles, of which 24 (69%) were at least 1 week smaller than expected for gestational age and 11 (31%) were the expected size. Embryonic cardiac activity was documented in 22 (63%) of the 35 embryonic poles. Amongst 86 pregnancies with abnormal karyotypes, similar frequencies of ultrasound findings were found: 23 (27%) with empty gestational sacs, 42 (67%) with embryonic poles smaller than expected for gestational age, and 50 (79%) embryos lost after documentation of embryonic cardiac activity. No differences in the frequency of ultrasonographic findings of empty gestational sacs, small embryonic pole and embryonic cardiac activity were observed between karyotypically normal and abnormal spontaneous abortions. Ultrasonographic findings cannot predict the karyotype of spontaneous abortions.      

Sleep disturbance among women with chronic pelvic pain

Objective

To investigate the effect of chronic pelvic pain (CPP), a debilitating condition, on sleep quality.

Methods

The present case–control study enrolled women older than 18 years attending the Gynecology Clinic of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Hospital, Çanakkale, Turkey, with CPP between August 2011 and August 2012. The control group was selected from women attending the clinic for another complaint. Sleep quality was evaluated via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and differences between the groups were compared by t and χ² tests.

Results

During the study period, 157 women were enrolled. Seventy-two had CPP symptoms, and 85 attended the clinic for other complaints. Poor sleep quality was found in 80% (n = 58) of the women with CPP, and 55% (n = 47) of the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Women with CPP were found to have poor sleep quality. Sleep education should be recommended in psychiatry and neurology clinics to increase the awareness of sleeping problems among these women.     

Colorectal hemangioma: radiologic findings

The authors correlated radiographs with the clinical and histologic data of 12 patients with colorectal hemangioma. All patients presented with rectal bleeding, which was chronic in seven. Phleboliths were also visible in seven cases, which correlated with chronic bleeding in five. On barium studies, three masses were soft and three produced rigid narrowing. The atypical features of rigid luminal narrowing, which might mimic a carcinoma, and hypovascularity correlated with chronic bleeding or visible phleboliths, which suggest the correct diagnosis of colorectal hemangioma.     

Central thrombi in pulmonary arterial hypertension detected by MR imaging

Differentiation of thrombi from slow flow in the pulmonary arteries, sometimes observed in the presence of pulmonary arterial hypertension, can be equivocal. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed in a patient with chronic pulmonary thromboembolism and pulmonary arterial hypertension using an electrocardiographically gated technique that allowed visualization of the pulmonary arteries at the end of diastole and multiple times during systole. These images were compared with those of a patient with primary pulmonary hypertension and those of healthy subjects. Thrombi were discrete structures, seen throughout the cardiac cycle on both the first and second spin-echo images, and decreased in signal intensity on the second image. Slow flow increased in signal intensity and changed in structure during the cardiac cycle and was seen best on the second image. MR may play an important role in excluding large central thrombi as the cause of pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is a noninvasive method for defining pulmonary arterial wall thickness and for direct visualization of chronic pulmonary thrombus.     

Effect of Aerodiol administration on ocular arteries in postmenopausal women

Objective. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the alteration of ocular blood hemodynamics after intranasal administration of 17β-estradiol, through measurement of the ophthalmic artery (OA) and the central retinal artery (CRA) using color duplex sonography.

Methods. Thirty healthy women who had been naturally postmenopausal for at least 1 year were enrolled in the study. A randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover, double-blinded study was conducted of the acute effect of 17β-estradiol (Aerodiol®; Servier, Chambrayles-Tours, France) on OA and CRA blood flow using color duplex sonography.

Results. The peak systolic and end diastolic velocities of the CRA were increased significantly after 17β-estradiol administration compared with placebo. A significant decrease was also found in the pulsatility and resistive indices of the CRA. However, there were no statistically significant differences in OA flow velocities or pulsatility and resistive indices.

Conclusions. Nasal 17β-estradiol administration in postmenopausal women causes an improvement in the ocular vascular Doppler indices. These results suggest that there could be a positive effect of Aerodiol® on middle-sized arteries and arterioles.