A short-term follow-up comparison of two trans-obturator tape procedures

The objective of the study was to compare the clinical outcomes at the short-term follow-ups of two novel transobturator mid-urethral sling procedures – the transobturator tape (TOT) procedure and the tension-free vaginal tape (TVT)-obturator procedure. The study cohort consisted two groups of 40 women with urodynamically proven stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The patients in one group underwent the TOT procedure, performed according to Delorme (Prog Urol 11:1306–1313, 2001); those in the second group underwent the TVT-obturator operation, performed according to de Leval (Eur Urol 44:724–730, 2003). Intra-operative diagnostic cystoscopy was not performed with either the TVT-obturator or the TOT procedures. The average follow-up was 12 months. The two patient groups were similar in terms of demographic and therapeutic criteria, except for patient age, which was significantly younger in the TVT-obturator group. Previously reported TVT-related operative complications, such as bladder penetration, intra-operative bleeding, field infection and post-operative pelvic floor relaxation, were not observed in patients of either group. Bowel and urethral injuries were also not recorded. The therapeutic failure rates were 10% for the TOT procedure and 5% for the TVT-obturator procedure. Urinary frequency and urgency post-operatively were reported in 25% of the TOT patients and 19% of the TVT-obturator patients, pelvic or vaginal pain affected 10% of the TOT and 5% of the TVT-obturator patients, while post-operative voiding difficulty was experienced by 12.5% of the TOT and 7.5% of the TVT-obturator patients. None of the above-mentioned differences between the two patient groups were of statistical significance. The TVT-obturator and TOT procedures, both minimally invasive, novel, mid-urethral sling procedures, seem to be safe, easy-to-perform and effective in treating female SUI. The patients of both study groups suffered less intra- and post-operative surgical complications than previously been reported in connection with the TVT operation. The TVT-obturator patients had fewer therapeutic failures, less post-operative urinary frequency and urgency, less pelvic pain and less voiding difficulty. All of these findings, however, had no statistical significance; consequently, long-term comparative data collection will be required before solid conclusions can be drawn on the superiority of either of these two operative techniques.     

Effect of daily variation in weather and sleep on seasonal affective disorder

Analysis of daily self-ratings of energy for 10 patients diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) revealed statistically significant seasonal patterns in eight patients (with all patients showing the most energy in the summer and the least energy in the winter). When weather was controlled for, the seasonal patterns in energy persisted in seven of the eight patients. In a lesser number of subjects (four), there were significant effects of weather after controlling for season; however, when the effects of weather on energy were examined separately for each season, 8 of the 10 subjects were found to be influenced by weather in at least one season. Daily sleep data showed statistically significant seasonal patterns in all 10 patients (with 6 subjects showing maximum sleep in winter and 4 in summer). As for the relationship between energy and sleep, a loss of energy appeared to predict longer sleep on that night and the next night (7 of 10 patients), whereas there was no evidence that prolonged sleep influenced energy on the following and subsequent days.     

Kienb?ck's disease

Kienb?ck's disease is an isolated disorder of the lunate resulting from vascular compromise to the bone. The symptoms include wrist pain, limited range of motion, and decreased grip strength. The diagnosis is made from characteristic changes seen in the lunate on radiograms of the wrist. The severity of the disease can be categorized by staging the degree of involvement. This is helpful in guiding the practitioner through the maze of treatment options. Initial treatment of Kienb?ck's disease is conservative and includes immobilization, analgesics, and/or anti-inflammatory medication. If symptoms are not relieved, then based on the degree of involvement, several surgical options exist that will provide a successful result. These include autogenous tendon replacement arthroplasty, revascularization, radial shortening, ulnar lengthening, limited intercarpal arthrodesis, and silicone replacement arthroplasty. Salvage procedures for Kienb?ck's disease include wrist denervation, wrist arthrodesis, and proximal-row carpectomy. Currently, we prefer immobilization for treatment of stage I Kienb?ck's disease. For stage II, a revascularization procedure may be attempted or ulnar lengthening/radial shortening done, particularly if there is significant negative ulnar variance. In stage III, replacement arthroplasty and/or limited intercarpal arthrodesis is our treatment of choice, and for stage IV, one of the salvage procedures is indicated.     

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy of the left hand and motor impairments of the unaffected right hand: impaired central motor processing?

OBJECTIVE: To test whether central motor processing can be impaired in chronic reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD). DESIGN: Experimental 2-group analysis. SETTING: Tertiary care center in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: Five patients with stage 3 RSD of the left forearm, free of symptoms and complaints in the right forearm; and 10 healthy control subjects. INTERVENTION: On a digitizer, RSD patients and controls had to draw 3 sequences of graphemes of different complexity with their (unaffected) dominant right hand. The drawing tracks were segmented in time periods between points of velocity minima of the pen tip. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean velocity, coefficients of variation of both length and movement time per segment, and mean intersegmental pausing time were calculated for each sequence. RESULTS: A repeated-measures analysis of variance by using the multivariate method yielded a 35% lower mean velocity (F(1,13) = 5.83, P =.031), a 110% larger segment length variability (F(1,13) = 9.72, P =.008) and a 60% larger variability of movement time per segment (F(1,13) = 5.78, P =.032) in RSD patients. No group difference was found for intersegmental pausing time or any interaction effect with the type of task. CONCLUSION: Patients with chronic RSD have a normal ability to preprogram sequential movements of their unaffected hand; but with impaired temporospatial coding and movement execution. We concluded that cortical mechanisms may be involved in motor impairments in patients with chronic RSD.     

The development of lateral-line receptors in Eigenmannia (Teleostei, Gymnotiformes). II. The electroreceptive lateral-line system

Weakly electric fish of the genus Eigenmannia were induced to spawn in conditions simulating the tropical rainy season. The skin of embryos of different ages was prepared for histological examination, and whole animals were examined by various histological methods and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the electrosensory system develops after the first mechanoreceptive lines have formed. The tuberous and ampullary organs initially form adjacent to the lines of the lateral-line system. The tuberous organs develop at a rate 5 times higher than that of the ampullary organs. The rate of development for both classes of electroreceptors is 4 times higher on the head than on the trunk. The first tuberous organs develop on the head at day 7 and on the trunk at day 8. They increase in number and size during the growth of the fish. The ampullary organs begin to form on the head and on the most rostral part of the trunk at day 8. They are deeply sunk into the corium and have the same number of receptor cells as in adults. There are both ampullary and tuberous organs within fields of receptors that are innervated by a single nerve branch.     

Bell's palsy associated with IFN-alpha and ribavirin therapy for hepatitis C virus infection.

First-line therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection comprises interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) and ribavirin for 6 or 12 months. Mild complications of therapy are common, but more serious complications are rare. Three patients with chronic HCV infection, acquired through injecting drug use, developed idiopathic facial paralysis (Bell's palsy) during therapy, with spontaneous resolution after withdrawal of treatment. Large-scale cohort studies reveal that IFNs are associated rarely with neurologic complications, and only one previous report has linked IFN-alpha therapy and Bell's palsy. We postulate that IFN-alpha therapy led to a breakdown of peripheral tolerance to myelin sheath antigens, leading to neuropathy, just as IFN-alpha therapy can cause autoimmune thyroiditis through breakdown of tolerance to native thyroid antigens.     

Acute Osteomyelitis of the Pubic Bone Following Pelvic Surgery

Primary osteomyelitis of the pubic bone has not been recorded previously. The authors present a case of this unusual entity.     

Effect of compressive follower preload on the flexion-extension response of the human lumbar spine.

Traditional experimental methods are unable to study the kinematics of whole lumbar spine specimens under physiologic compressive preloads because the spine without active musculature buckles under just 120 N of vertical load. However, the lumbar spine can support a compressive load of physiologic magnitude (up to 1200 N) without collapsing if the load is applied along a follower load path. This study tested the hypothesis that the load-displacement response of the lumbar spine in flexion-extension is affected by the magnitude of the follower preload and the follower preload path. Twenty-one fresh human cadaveric lumbar spines were tested in flexion-extension under increasing compressive follower preload applied along two distinctly different optimized preload paths. The first (neutral) preload path was considered optimum if the specimen underwent the least angular change in its lordosis when the full range of preload (0-1200 N) was applied in its neutral posture. The second (flexed) preload path was optimized for an intermediate specimen posture between neutral and full flexion. A twofold increase in flexion stiffness occurred around the neutral posture as the preload was increased from 0 to 1200 N. The preload magnitude (400 N and larger) significantly affected the range of motion (ROM), with a 25% decrease at 1200 N preload applied along the neutral path. When the preload was applied along a path optimized for an intermediate forward-flexed posture, only a 15% decrease in ROM occurred at 1200 N. The results demonstrate that whole lumbar spine specimens can be subjected to compressive follower preloads of in vivo magnitudes while allowing physiologic mobility under flexion-extension moments. The optimized follower preload provides a method to simulate the resultant vector of the muscles that allow the spine to support physiologic compressive loads induced during flexion-extension activities.