Neurotologic manifestations of the osteopetroses

Facial nerve paralysis or symptoms of audiovestibular nerve dysfunction may be the first indication of one of the group of bone diseases known as the osteopetroses. We describe three such patients. The pathophysiology of these diseases and the treatment of the resulting symptoms of facial and audiovestibular nerve dysfunction are discussed.     

Immediate postembolization excision of glomus jugulare tumors: advantages of new combined techniques.

Preoperative percutaneous transfemoral catheter embolization of feeding vessels in glomus jugulare tumors, followed by immediate application of standard surgical techniques, presents the treatment of choice, allowing meticulous microsurgery with virtually complete hemostasis. Therefore, the surgeon can operate in a bloodless environment throughout the compressed and intricate anatomic field, amidst such important yet vulnerable structures as cranial nerves, inner ear, carotid artery, jugular bulb, venous sinuses, and dura, while reducing surgical error and functional deficit for the patient. Review of the last 11 cases of glomus jugulare tumors at UCLA shows that even extensive Alford grade 2 tumors of the middle ear, jugular bulb, and mastoid had only minor blood losses with this combined technique of embolization-immediate surgery, as compared with earlier surgical methods. Pertinent literature on glomus jugulare and its treatment is reviewed. Combined embolization and immediate surgery offer the best approach for treatment of resectable glomus jugulare tumors.     

Is there an incremental rise in the risk of obstetric intervention with increasing maternal age?

Objective To determine whether increasing maternal age increases the risk of operative delivery and to investigate whether such a trend is due to fetal or maternal factors.
Design Analysis of prospectively collected data on a maternity unit database.
Setting A postgraduate teaching hospital.
Population 6410 nulliparous women with singleton cephalic pregnancies delivering at term (37–42) weeks of gestation) between 1 January 92 and 31 December 95.
Main outcome measures Mode of delivery, rates of prelabour caesarean section, induction of labour and epidural usage.
Results There was a positive, highly significant association between increasing maternal age and obstetric intervention. Prelabour (  P < 0.001  ) and emergency (   P < 0.001  ) caesarean section, instrumental vaginal delivery (spontaneous labour   P < 0.001  ; induced labour   P = 0.001  ), induction of labour (   P < 0.001  ) and epidural usage in spontaneous labour (  P = 0.005  ) all increased with increasing age. In the second stage of labour fetal distress and failure to advance, requiring instrumental delivery, were both more likely with increasing maternal age (in both   P < 0.001  ). Epidural usage in induced labour and the incidence of small for gestational age newborns did not increase with increasing maternal age (P = 0.68 and  P = 0.50  , respectively).
Conclusions This study demonstrates that increasing maternal age is associated with an incremental increase in obstetric intervention. Previous studies have demonstrated a significant effect in women older than 35 years of age, but these data show changes on a continuum from teenage years. This finding may reflect a progressive, age-related deterioration in myometrial function.     

The reliability of catheter-tip transducers for the measurement of intrauterine pressure in the third stage of labour

In order to assess the reliability of intrauterine pressure measurements in the third stage of labour, catheter-tip transducers were used in 20 women randomly allocated into two groups of 10. In each case in the first group two catheters were tied together and introduced transcervically into the uterine cavity after delivery of the placenta. In each case in the second group two catheters were inserted independently into the same uterine cavity. The active and cumulative active pressures recorded from the pairs of catheters within each uterine cavity were compared. Comparison of individual active pressure readings from separate transducers revealed good agreement whether the catheters were tied together or were seperate. Cumulative active pressure was very similar when assessed by each catheter in the same uterus. Intrauterine catheter-tip transducers can be used reliably to measure uterine activity in the third stage of labour although there may be minor contraction by contraction differences in recordings of individual active pressures.     

Pre and postnatal diagnosis of fetus‐in‐fetu

Differentiation of abdominal masses detected on prenatal ultrasound is difficult and requires careful characterization of the mass and precise localization. Differentiation is required in order to distinguish benign from potentially malignant conditions. We describe a case of fetus‐in‐fetu with pre and postnatal imaging.     

Midtrimester heterotopic abdominal pregnancy diagnosed and managed with imaging guidance: a case report

BACKGROUND: An abdominal pregnancy coexisting with an intrauterine pregnancy is a rare variant of heterotopic pregnancy. CASE: An abdominal heterotopic pregnancy was diagnosed at 22 weeks' gestation. Magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance angiography and sonography were performed to elucidate the anatomy. A multidisciplinary conference was held and management options were discussed. The patient elected to terminate the abdominal fetus. Selective embolization of the abdominal fetus was attempted but was unsuccessful. Intracardiac injection of potassium chloride was performed without incident. The intrauterine fetus was delivered at 36 weeks without complications. CONCLUSION: Abdominal heterotopic pregnancies pose unique management challenges, and close cooperation between obstetricians and radiologists is essential.     

Pharmacological characterization of the late phase reduction in lung functions and correlations with microvascular leakage and lung edema in allergen-challenged Brown Norway rats

Late phase airflow obstruction and reduction in forced vital capacity are characteristic features of human asthma. Airway microvascular leakage and lung edema are also present in the inflammatory phase of asthma, but the impact of this vascular response on lung functions has not been precisely defined. This study was designed to evaluate the role of increased lung microvascular leakage and edema on the late phase changes in forced vital capacity (FVC) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) in allergen-challenged Brown Norway rats using pharmacological inhibitors of the allergic inflammatory response. Rats were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin aerosol and forced expiratory lung functions (FVC, PEF) and wet and dry lung weights were measured 48 h after antigen challenge. Ovalbumin challenge reduced FVC (63% reduction) and PEF (33% reduction) and increased wet (65% increase) and dry (51% increase) lung weights. The antigen-induced reduction in FVC and PEF was completely inhibited by oral treatment with betamethasone and partially attenuated by inhibitors of arachidonic acid metabolism including indomethacin (cyclooxygenase inhibitor), 7-TM and MK-7246 (CRTH2 antagonists) and montelukast (CysLT₁ receptor antagonist). Antagonists of histamine H₁ receptors (mepyramine) and 5-HT receptors (methysergide) had no significant effects indicating that these pre-formed mast cell mediators were not involved. There was a highly significant (P < 0.005) correlation for the inhibition of FVC reduction and increase in wet and dry lung weights by these pharmacological agents. These results strongly support the hypothesis that lung microvascular leakage and the associated lung edema contribute to the reduction in forced expiratory lung functions in antigen-challenged Brown Norway rats and identify an important role for the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase products of arachidonic acid metabolism in these responses.     

Neutrophil Influx Measured in Nasal Lavages of Humans Exposed to Ozone

Neutrophils (PMNs) obtained by nasal lavage were counted to determine if ozone, an oxidant air pollutant, induces an acute inflammatory response in the upper respiratory tract (URT) of humans. Background data were obtained by the nasal lavages from 200 nonexperimentally exposed subjects. Then, using a known inflammatory agent for the URT, rhinovirus-type 39, the induction, peak, and resolution of an acute inflammatory response was shown to be documented by the nasal lavage PMN counts. To determine if ozone induces this response, 41 subjects were exposed to either filtered air or 0.5 ppm ozone for 4 hr, on 2 consecutive days. Nasal lavages were taken pre-, immediately post each exposure, and 22 hr following the last exposure. Lavage PMN counts increased significantly (p = .005) in the ozone-exposed group, with 3.5-, 6.5-, and 3.9-fold increases over the air-exposed group at the post 1, pre 2, and post 2 time points, respectively. Ozone induces an inflammatory response in the URT of humans, and nasal lavage PMN counts are useful to assay the inflammatory properties of air pollutants.     

Management of biliary tract complications following liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: A review of biliary tract complications was performed in 32 patients who underwent liver transplantation by the Western Australian Liver Transplantation Service during a 2-year period. METHODS: A review was made of patient data collected prospectively, and confirmed by retrospective casenote review. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients (31 grafts) survived more than 2 days after transplantation, and of these 28 had an end-to-end biliary anastomosis. Analysis of these 28 patients found that eight of 17 patients with T-tubes had complications: three leaks at T-tube removal; two strictures and leaks; and three strictures. Six of 11 patients without a T-tube had complications: one leak; three strictures and leaks; and two strictures. Predisposing factors were present in eight of the 14 patients with biliary tract complications: hepatic artery stenosis in three; and one each with hepatic artery thrombosis; biliary calculi; donor-recipient bile duct mismatch; severe cellular rejection: and prolonged postoperative hypotension. Acute rejection, steroid-resistant rejection and cytomegalovirus infection were all significantly more common in those patients with biliary tract complications compared with those without. There was no difference in cold ischaemic time or donor age. Twelve of the 14 patients with biliary complications required endoscopic stenting with or without balloon dilation, and eight patients required radiological percutaneous drainage of bile collections. Only one patient required biliary reconstruction and two patients required re-transplantation. One patient died of uncontrolled infection. Of three patients who underwent choledochojejunostomy, biliary leak developed in two patients, both of whom required operative biliary and hepatic repair. One of the three patients died from disseminated Aspergillus infection. The median total hospital stay of patients with biliary complications was 61 days (range: 30-180 days) compared with 33.5 days (range: 22-70 days) for patients without. Of patients with end-to-end biliary anastomosis, 50% had biliary tract complications and more than half of these had predisposing factors. The majority of biliary complications were managed without the need for surgery. CONCLUSION: A total of 50% of patients with end-to-end biliary anastomosis had biliary tract complications. Biliary strictures presented later than leaks, and the majority of these complications were managed without the need for surgery.     

Anterior cruciate ligament injury about 20 years post‐treatment: A kinematic analysis of one‐leg hop

Reduced dynamic knee stability, often evaluated with one‐leg hops (OLHs), is reported after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. This may lead to long‐standing altered movement patterns, which are less investigated. 3D kinematics during OLH were explored in 70 persons 23 ± 2 years after ACL injury; 33 were treated with physiotherapy in combination with ACL reconstruction (ACL_R) and 37 with physiotherapy alone (ACL_PT). Comparisons were made to 33 matched controls. We analyzed (a) maximal knee joint angles and range of motion (flexion, abduction, rotation); (b) medio‐lateral position of the center of mass (COM) in relation to knee and ankle joint centers, during take‐off and landing phases. Unlike controls, ACL‐injured displayed leg asymmetries: less knee flexion and less internal rotation at take‐off and landing and more lateral COM related to knee and ankle joint of the injured leg at landing. Compared to controls, ACL_R had larger external rotation of the injured leg at landing. ACL_PT showed less knee flexion and larger external rotation at take‐off and landing, and larger knee abduction at Landing. COM was more medial in relation to the knee at take‐off and less laterally placed relative to the ankle at landing. ACL injury results in long‐term kinematic alterations during OLH, which are less evident for ACL_R.