Compartmental syndrome complicating Salter-Harris type II distal radius fracture

Distal radius fractures are common in children, yet complications are rare. A rarely described complication, acute volar compartmental syndrome, occurred in a 15-year-old boy. An accurate physical examination and awareness of the syndrome are essential for diagnosis. Compartmental pressures can be obtained easily and afford a rapid means of corroboration. Once the diagnosis is established, adequate decompression of all involved compartments, including carpal tunnel release, is essential. The literature is unclear regarding the etiology of this complication. There is nothing structurally intrinsic to the distal radius that should lead to a compartmental syndrome. Both the amount of soft tissue damage at the time of fracture and the mode of immobilization (excessive elevation, constricting splint, etc.) are the ultimate determinants of a successful (or unsuccessful) outcome.     

Amiodarone-induced experimental acute neuropathy in rats.

Amiodarone was injected endoneurially at increasing doses into the exposed tibial nerve of rats to study its electrophysiologic and pathologic effects on peripheral nerve fibers. Forty-five male Wistar rats were used, and each of the following concentrations was injected into 15 nerves: 25 micrograms/mL, 50 micrograms/mL, and 100 micrograms/mL. Microinjection of a 25 micrograms/mL concentration of amiodarone resulted in a subacute, incomplete conduction block evident at day 3 postinjection. This conduction block remained stable until day 10 and recovery was complete at day 35. Microinjection of a 50 micrograms/mL concentration of amiodarone produced a faster evolving conduction block, and significant axon degeneration (approximately 40% of fibers). Injection of a 100 micrograms/mL concentration resulted in severe acute motor axon degeneration followed by complete but delayed regeneration. Results of morphological studies closely correlated with electrophysiological findings. Amiodarone thus seems to have a direct toxic effect on axons at high concentrations in the peripheral nerve, and we suggest that different pathological changes described in human amiodarone neuropathy could be related to different concentrations of the drug in the nerve, perhaps due to variability of blood-nerve barrier efficacy.     

The tendo Achillis as it relates to rearfoot position. A new classification for evaluation of calcaneal stance position

In summary, it has been demonstrated by the statistical analysis of 48 subjects (96 feet) that as the foot moves from the neutral to the resting calcaneal stance position, the tendo Achillis alignment is displaced lateral to the center of gravity. Class I heels demonstrated a direct correlation with tendo Achillis deviation suggesting that their subtalar joint motion is in the transverse plane. Class II and III heels did not directly correlate with Achilles deviation, suggesting probable frontal plane variability. Class IV heels showed no correlation with rearfoot pathology and are considered to be a consequence of distal or proximal pronatory forces. We advocate the recognition of the Achilles tendon as it interacts with transverse and frontal plane subtalar joint motion and believe that it deserves ample attention when evaluating the patient biomechanically as well as surgically.     

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy in Children: Electroclinical Study of 77 Cases

Summary:  Purpose: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is probably more difficult to recognize in children than in adults. In fact, ictal symptoms in children are less stereotyped and less obvious, and the neuropathological substrate is more heterogeneous than in adults. The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between etiology, age at onset and electroclinical findings in 77 children with TLE, 32 of whom were surgically treated.
Methods: Electroclinical study including video-EEG recording of seizures in 77 children with TLE. The investigation focused on the first five initial ictal symptoms.
Results: Age at onset was less than 3 years in 39 cases, between 3 and 6 years in 17 cases and older than 6 years in 21 cases. Auras also occurred in younger children but were more common after the age of 6 years. A peculiar initial ictal semiology consisted in staring with arrest, lip cyanosis, and very slight oral automatisms. In some cases, EEG recordings documented seizures starting independently on both temporal lobes. Based on electroclinical and neuroradiological features, we recognized three subgroups: symptomatic TLE due to cortical malformations or nonevolutive tumors, TLE with mesial temporal sclerosis, and cryptogenic TLE.
Conclusions: A correct electroclinical and neuroradiological approach allows in several cases early recognition of TLE even when onset is earlier than the age of 6 years. A correct definition of the localization relies primarily on video-EEG recording of the seizures, possibly repeated during follow up in cases lacking obvious neuroradiological correlation.     

Liver transplant in a patient with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt.

There are no published accounts of patients with ventriculoperitoneal shunts undergoing liver transplantation in the literature. Because patients with ventriculoperitoneal shunts are prone to infections, this may be a theoretical contraindication to transplantation. We present a case of a patient with cirrhosis who had a ventriculoperitoneal shunt placed many years prior to transplantation. The patient had no neurological complications and the shunt was intact and functioning. Prior to transplantation, the patient underwent a ventriculoperitoneal to ventriculopleural shunt conversion that was reversed posttransplantation. Apart from some minor complications, the patient has done remarkably well from a graft and neurological perspective. In conclusion, patients who have ventriculoperitoneal shunts may be considered for liver transplantation as the risk of infectious and neurological complications is low and there are no deleterious effects on graft survival.     

The use of a dedicated rectosigmoidoscope for ultrasound staging of tumours of the upper and middle third of the rectum

OBJECTIVE: Tumours of the upper rectum, and many in the middle third, are not accessible to endorectal ultrasound staging because of the difficulty in reaching all sites of the rectum with a rigid probe. The aim of this prospective study was to assess whether using a dedicated rectosigmoidoscope, endorectal ultrasonography (ERUS) can accurately stage any rectal lesion irrespective of its distance from the anal verge. METHOD: A total of 173 consecutive patients with a primary rectal tumour were included. A rotating, high multifrequency (5.0-10 MHz) endoprobe was introduced through a dedicated rectosigmoidoscope and advanced above the lesion. A computer allowed for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of 2D images. Treatment was selected on the basis of 3D-ERUS findings. ERUS staging was correlated with pathological staging. RESULTS: The depth of invasion was correctly determined by 3D-ERUS in 78.2% of tumours of the lower rectum, 76.4% of tumours extending between the lower and middle third of the rectum, 80.9% of tumours of the middle third of the rectum, 78.5% of tumours extending between the middle and upper third of the rectum and 78.9% of tumours of the upper rectum. The accuracy for the absence of lymph node metastases was 81.2% for tumours of the lower rectum, 78.5% for tumours extending between the lower and middle third of the rectum, 85.7% for tumours of the middle third of the rectum, 83.3% for tumours extending between the middle and upper third of the rectum and 78.5% for tumours of the upper rectum. Analysis showed that there was no difference between the various tumour sites. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that using a dedicated proctosigmoidoscope, tumours of the upper and middle third of the rectum are equally accessible to ultrasonographic evaluation. The distance of the tumour from the anal verge does not influence the accuracy of examinations considered adequate by the operator.     

Paired filtration dialysis: optimizing depurative efficiency with separate convection and diffusion processes

To overcome reciprocal interaction between convection and diffusion occurring in hemodiafiltration, we separated the two processes in a new dialysis technique called paired filtration dialysis (PFD). In this technique, convection and diffusion take place separately on two capillary membranes: a polysulfone hemofilter and a hemophan dialyzer. The depurative effectiveness of PFD with respect to small (blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, uric acid, phosphate) and large (beta 2-microglobulin) molecules was acutely assessed in 6 patients on maintenance acetate hemodialysis. Despite a 3-hour treatment time, a high mass removal of small and large solutes was found in PFD without high ultrafiltration rates or blood flows in excess of 300 ml/min. There was no significant difference in solute removal between the two different depurative sequences adopted in PFD, i.e., convection followed by diffusion or vice versa. A significant reduction in beta 2-microglobulin serum levels was observed in both PFD modes. Twenty patients, on a 12-month period of 3-hour PFD treatment, maintained an unaltered metabolic, clinical, and acid-base status, and cardiovascular stability was not affected. PFD thus provides excellent depurative results, along with simple technical features that are particularly useful in treating patients with high depurative needs and yet are unable to tolerate high-flux techniques.     

Assessing postoperative discomfort after third molar surgery: a prospective study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors for severe discomfort after mandibular third molar surgery and to assess the validity of the Postoperative Symptom Severity (PoSSe) scale. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a 2-year prospective study, a total of 255 unilateral impacted mandibular third molar teeth were surgically removed under local anesthesia by 3 surgeons. Standardized surgical and analgesic protocols were followed. At the review appointment, 1 week after surgery, all patients returned a completed follow-up questionnaire (PoSSe scale) and were evaluated clinically for postoperative pain (number of painkillers taken) and trismus (differences in mouth opening). Sixteen predictive variables were evaluated using stepwise logistic regression analysis to identify the risk factors associated with severe discomfort. RESULTS: Severe postoperative discomfort was predicted by these independent variables: gender, tobacco use, ramus relationship/space available, and antibiotic prophylaxis. Oral contraceptive use and operation time were not identified as risk factors. The patients' perceptions of the severity of symptoms (PoSSe scale score) was strongly correlated with clinical assessment of trismus (r = 0.54) and pain (r = 0.42). CONCLUSION: The PoSSe scale resulted in a valid and responsive measure of the severity of symptoms after surgical extraction of lower third molars and reflected the clinical severity of the postoperative discomfort. From a patient's perspective, operative factors had little bearing on the quality of life after removal of mandibular third molars.     

Blue Hue in the Dermoscopy Setting: Homogeneous Blue Pigmentation, Gray-Blue Area, and/or Whitish Blue Veil?

In dermoscopy, the correct recognition of the single parameters is fundamental to achieve great diagnostic accuracy, but the scarce morphologic expression of a parameter may lead to diagnostic errors. We report the case of a 27-year-old white man presenting a pigmented lesion of the back, which was present since puberty. Clinical examination revealed on the back the presence of a flat, gray-blue lesion and at the periphery a small dark-brown papule. An assessment of the lesion by means of dermoscopy was performed. The purpose of this report was to analyze the Blue Hue in dermoscopy with its histopathologic correlates, starting with the discussion of a clinical case.