Hydrocephalus in an achondroplastic child treated by venous decompression at the jugular foramen. Case report

A 10-month-old child with achondroplasia with progressive head enlargement, ventriculomegaly, and wide subarachnoid spaces over the hemispheres was referred for evaluation. A steady-state lumbar infusion test revealed increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) outflow resistance (14 mm Hg/ml/min), and intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (DSA) demonstrated bilateral venous outflow obstruction due to stenosis of the jugular foramen. Surgical decompression by opening the right jugular foramen relieved the clinical signs of intracranial hypertension. During the following year, the patient's head enlargement was moderate with relative normalization of size. Repeat DSA demonstrated improved venous runoff on the right side, and a steady-state lumbar infusion test demonstrated reduced CSF outflow resistance (10 mm Hg/ml/min). Venous decompression is causal therapy and may prove to be preferable to shunting in children with hydrocephalus and bilateral stenosis of the jugular foramen.     

Biocompatibility of zirconia dispersed hydroxyapatite ceramics

Because of the lack of adequate strength and toughness, hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramic can not be used for a substitute for a bone and joint despite its excellent affinity for the bone. The present authors have succeeded in producing a new type of HA ceramic containing zirconia. This new ceramic material is superior to ordinary HA ceramic in quality and exceeds compact bone in bending strength and fracture toughness. The Young's modulus was about 3-4 times greater than that of compact bone. The new ceramic material contained either 1.6 or 50% of zirconia by volume and was produced using a special technique to disperse the metal dioxide. In order to assess their affinity for the bone, the new ceramic materials were implanted into rabbit femurs. Sections of the bones removed at different times after operation were prepared without decalcification and subjected to optical microscopy, scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM), and electron-probe X-ray microanalyser (EPMA). The formation of direct chemical bonds with the bone was seen without intervening membrane. Thus, the new ceramic material was shown to have an excellent affinity for the bone, comparable to that of ordinary HA ceramic.     

A surgical case of aortic regurgitation with Beh?et disease

A case of Beh?et disease associated with aortic valve regurgitation treated with aortic valve replacement is reported. The patient was treated successfully with special surgical techniques for prevention of post operative paravalvular leakage and occurrence of pseudo aneurysm because the patient was under long-term steroid therapy for Beh?et disease.     

Severe lightning pain during spinal anesthesia

A 74-yr-old man was scheduled for the biopsy of prostatic tumor under spinal anesthesia. Preoperative serologic test for syphilis was highly positive. Spinal anesthesia was performed in the sitting position, and 2 ml of hyperbaric Neo-percamine S (a mixture of 0.24% dibucaine and 0.12% T-caine) was administered uneventfully with the onset of warm sensation on the perineal region. Ten minutes later, however, he began to complain of severe lightning sensation on the feet. After giving pentazocine intravenously, the short cystoscopic procedure was completed. As a cause of severe pain, an erroneous anesthetic solution or direct neuronal injury had been excluded because of rapid and complete recovery after anesthesia. Two weeks later, he was scheduled for TUR-P. He again complained of severe lightning pain after the successful spinal anesthesia with the same anesthetic solution. Because the pain was not relieved by analgesics, he was then anesthetized with enflurane and N2O in oxygen, and there were no neurological complications after anesthesia. Several cases of severe pain during spinal anesthesia have been reported in patients with tabes dorsalis. Although the patient lacks clear symptoms of neurosyphilis, positive serologic examination for syphilis without any other possible causes suggests altered sensitivity of the spinal cord to anesthetic solutions.     

Health promotion and disease prevention in HMOs: a survey of newly established IPAs in New York City

Independent Practice Associations (IPAs) are the fastest growing segment of the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) industry, but little is known about their provision of health promotion and disease prevention to subscribers. To examine the extent to which IPA policies encourage health promotion and disease prevention, we interviewed medical directors and other senior administrators of six newly developing IPA-HMOs in New York City. We also reviewed promotional literature to assess how extensively health promotion and disease prevention were marketed to the potential subscriber. Although medical protocols for preventive screening exist in most IPAs, compliance with guidelines is left largely to the individual physician's judgment for implementation. IPA respondents suggested that their physician panels are oriented toward prevention, but there is uncertain evidence in this regard, and incentive payments could discourage referrals for screening. Health education programs are sporadic. Health promotion and disease prevention do not appear to be a high priority among six newly established IPAs in New York City. We recommend several steps that would encourage IPA-HMOs to increase their health promotion activities.     

Effects of mifepristone on rabbit intraocular pressure in the presence and absence of dexamethasone

Topical dexamethasone was used to elevate rabbit intraocular pressure in order to study the interaction with a steroid antagonist, mifepristone. Dexamethasone did not cause a consistently significant increase in intraocular pressure. Animals treated with mifepristone followed by dexamethasone showed no apparent increase in intraocular pressure after dexamethasone, indeed mifepristone caused a lower intraocular pressure than seen in other groups whether in the presence or absence of dexamethasone. Reductions of intraocular pressure when mifepristone was given after 14 days of dexamethasone administration were not found. No conclusion can be reached regarding any dexamethasone antagonism by mifepristone, except that intraocular pressure tended to be lower even in the presence of dexamethasone.