Encrusted alkaline cystitis and malacoplakia

Urinary infection due to urea splitting bacteria leads to a rise in urinary pH, favouring the precipitation of calcium salts and struvita crystals. If deposited on the surface of a bladder with chronic inflammation or some other previous lesion, may produce an alkaline encrusted cystitis, now a rare condition. In the case here presented, occurred in a 69-year-old male. Corynebacterium urealyticum grown in the urine, and some foci of malakoplakia were found in the area of encrustation endoscopically excised. This case seems to be the third example of alkaline encrusted cystitis associated with malakoplakia reported in the bibliography. These two conditions share similar clinical signs and may probably have a common aetiopathogenesis.     

Obstetric sciatic paralysis: a 29-year experience in a tertiary hospital

Obstetrical sciatic palsy have been frequently seen in our hospital, but bibliography about this subject is rare, not only in Spanish but also in other languages. We review our experience about this pathology, and if it is possible, to contribute to prevent its occurrence.     

Early diagnosis of stress fracture of the lumbar spine in athletes

Thirty-three athletes complaining of back pain of more than 1 months’ duration and with normal radiography of the lower spine were all studied by scintigraphy and in 24 of them with single photon emission computerized tomography. A stress fracture was considered present if localized increased uptake was seen at a vertebral level. Scintigraphy showed increased uptake in 17 of 33 patients and single photon emission computerized tomography in 16 of 24 patients.

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Résumé 33 athlèes se plaignant de lombalgies depuis plus d’un mois avec des radiographies normales de la colonne lombaire ont étéétudiés. Tous ont eu une scintigraphie, et 24 un scanner. A été retenu comme signe de fracture de fatigue, l’existence d’une augmentation de densitéà un niveau vertébral. La scintigraphie montrait une telle augmentation chez 17 des 33 patients et le scanner chez 16 des 24 patients. On conclut que même si la scintigraphie est normale, on ne peut pas rejeter le diagnostic de fracture de fatigue.

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Accepted: 22 October 1997