The relationship between interstitial cystitis and endometriosis in patients with chronic pelvic pain.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the relationship between interstitial cystitis (IC), endometriosis (endo), and chronic pelvic pain (CPP) in individuals in whom nongynecological and nonurological problems had been previously ruled out. METHODS: A prospective study of 162 consecutive women with a complaint of chronic pelvic pain seen in the clinic was performed between August 2002 and December 2005. These patients underwent a workup to exclude other causes of pelvic pain, had PUF (Pain Urgency and Frequency) questionnaires filled out, and underwent a laparoscopy and a cystoscopy with hydrodistention. Pain levels were determined, and treatment was reviewed and enumerated. Results were obtained and quantified. RESULTS: In this study, 123 (76%) patients were diagnosed with active endometriosis, 133 (82%) were diagnosed with interstitial cystitis, and 107 (66%) had both disease entities simultaneously. Thirteen (8%) patients were diagnosed with pathologies unrelated to endometriosis and interstitial cystitis. Pain levels were seen to decrease at 6 months in all groups of patients with the exception of those patients with endometriosis only. CONCLUSION: CPP is a difficult, taxing, and frustrating concern for many women in the United States. These individuals have traditionally been difficult to treat. A large number of women with CPP in our patient population have been shown to have endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, or both. Therefore, a workup for premenopausal individuals with CPP involves obtaining a history that keys into possible nongynecologic causes of pain, a complete accounting of urinary problems, and a thorough history of gynecological problems. A physical examination with a comprehensive history should be performed, and the investigation may include the possibility of a simultaneous laparoscopy and cystoscopy if warranted. These procedures can serve as both a means for diagnosis and treatment of these problems when encountered.     

膀胱小细胞癌3例报告并文献复习

目的:探讨膀胱小细胞癌(BSCC)的临床特征、病理学特征和诊治方法。方法:回顾性分析3例BSCC的临床资料。3例均为男性,年龄68~82岁,2例有间断无痛性肉眼血尿,1例有尿频尿急。1例B超检查见膀胱内有1.5cm×0.9cm稍强回声区,后伴弱声影,中心回声较低;1例膀胱镜检查见膀胱颈10~12点处有1cm×1cm乳头状突起,无蒂,广基,呈地毯样生长;1例盆腔CT及加强扫描示膀胱内有类圆形团块状影,大小约2.5cm×2.6cm。2例行经尿道膀胱肿瘤电切术,1例行膀胱部分切除术。结果:术后病理检查均报告为膀胱小细胞未分化癌。免疫组织化学结果:嗜铬蛋白颗粒均( ~ ),神经特异烯醇化酶均(-~±),例1突触素(-),例2突触素( ),例3突触素( ~ )。例1术后3年复发,患者拒绝行根治性膀胱全切术,服中药治疗10个月后死亡。例2术后8个月因膀胱小细胞癌转移而死于全身衰竭。例3术后病理检查结果为膀胱移行细胞癌2~3级,部分为小细胞未分化癌,局部伴腺样分化,3个月后复发,行根治性膀胱全切加双侧输尿管皮肤乳头术,术后随访15个月无肿瘤复发。结论:BSCC是一种少见的高度恶性的膀胱肿瘤,诊断主要靠病理学检查,早期即可发生转移,预后较差。行根治性切除术加联合化疗可提高治愈率。     

Influence of pain and urinary symptoms on quality of life in young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms

BACKGROUND: Our aims in the present study were to estimate the influences of pain and urinary symptoms on quality of life, and to determine which of these two variables has the most predictive power with respect to quality of life in young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms. METHODS: Chronic prostatitis-like symptoms were measured by the National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index. Of the 28,841 men aged 20 years who lived in the study community, 18,495 men (a response rate 64.1%) agreed to participate in the study. A total of 1057 men who complained of symptoms indicative of chronic prostatitis were included in the study. The influences of pain and urinary symptoms on quality of life were determined using logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to estimate the predictive ability of each of these variables with respect to quality of life. RESULTS: Results from multivariate analysis showed that both pain and urinary symptoms were associated with an increased likelihood of impaired quality of life, although pain contributed more to a reduced quality of life than urinary symptoms. Relative to men who experienced mild pain, men who experienced moderate pain had a 3.9-fold risk of poor quality of life (odds ratio [OR], 3.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.86-5.23; P < 0.001) and those who experienced severe pain had a 15.7-fold risk of reduced quality of life (OR, 15.68; 95% CI, 6.59-37.35; P < 0.001). Moderate urinary symptoms were associated with a 1.4-fold risk of bother (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.01-1.99; P < 0.001) and severe urinary symptoms were associated with 2.4-fold risk (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.37-4.12; P < 0.001), relative to mild urinary symptoms. Comparison of the effects of pain and urinary symptoms showed that pain severity had the most predictive power for bother, quality of life, and quality-of-life impact. The areas under the ROC curves for bother, quality of life, and quality-of-life impact were 71.3%, 69.3% and 72.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Urinary symptoms and pain might be associated with an increased likelihood of impaired quality of life in young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms. In addition, our findings suggest that pain severity is the most influential variable for determining quality of life in this population.     

通用型脊柱内固定系统(GSS)在腰椎不稳症治疗中的近期疗效观察

目的 :观察GSS对腰椎节段性不稳的固定及治疗效果。方法 :2 0 0 2年 10月～ 2 0 0 3年 9月 ,对 2 5例腰椎不稳症患者。其中 ,男 9例 ,女 16例 ,运用椎板减压、椎管后外侧植骨融合、GSS椎弓根螺钉内固定系统治疗 ,随访 6～ 18个月 (平均 15 7个月 )。结果 :术前JOA评分平均 4 48分的 2 5例患者 ,随访时 14 5分 (P <0 0 1) ,术后 14个月内动态X线检查显示GSS椎弓根螺钉固定患者植骨融合率 10 0 % ,融合节段稳定 ,临床症状改善优良率 96 0 %。结论 :后路运用GSS行椎管后外侧植骨融合内固定对腰椎不稳症患者是一种安全、有效的术式 ,近期疗效满意     

Intradiscal Thermal Annuloplasty for Discogenic Pain: An Outcome Study

Objectives: Published studies of intradiscal thermal annuloplasty (IDTA) have shown at most 50% pain relief as an improved outcome with little focus on functional improvement in the treatment of discogenic pain. Previous studies have used a number of criteria for patient selection including low back pain unresponsive to conservative care, no compressive radiculopathy, positive provocative discography and absence of previous surgery at the same symptomatic level. The purpose of present study is to examine the hypothesis that additional inclusion criteria for patient selection such as disc height, absence of degenerative disc disease (DDD) in untreated discs, absence of herniated nucleus pulposus or lumbar canal stenosis may improve the outcome of treatment. Methods: In this prospective case‐series study additional criteria of patient selection were introduced, namely disc height of at least 50%, no lumbar canal stenosis, one or two levels of DDD, no evidence of nucleus pulposus herniation on magnetic resonance image. Thirty‐four patients were enrolled in the study and 32 of them were followed over a period of 12 months. The visual analog scale (VAS) pain score and seven activities of daily living (ADLs) were followed and reported on a scale from 0 to 10. Results: Sustained decrease of the VAS pain scores was observed from 3 to 12 months following IDTA. ADLs improved in all patients between 3 and 12 months post‐treatment. Patients in the Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC) group had a higher VAS score but showed the same level of improvement in ADLs as compared to commercial insurance or self‐pay patients. In the non‐BWC patient group an average VAS pain score decrease of more than 6 points on a 10‐point scale was reported at 6 to 12 months following IDTA. Conclusions: We found dramatic improvement of pain scores and ADLs following IDTA when strict patient selection was applied. We believe that IDTA is an effective, minimally invasive treatment for discogenic pain in properly selected patients.     

A Complication of Stellate Ganglion Block?

Abstract: Stellate ganglion block is commonly used to treat the sympathetically maintained pain which may occur in one‐third of patients with complex regional pain syndrome type 1. A complication that followed a single block and presented a diagnostic dilemma for the ophthalmologist is reported.     

A literature review exploring how healthcare professionals contribute to the assessment and control of postoperative pain in older people

Little research has examined the care older people receive in the acute surgical setting. Although pain assessment and management are judged to be a priority in nursing, often pain, in older people, is undermanaged for a variety of reasons. Factors such as stoicism, communication and ageism can shape both the patients’ and nurses’ attitude towards the perception of pain which subsequently affects pain management. Through a review of the literature, this paper aims to: (i) identify how healthcare professionals contribute to the assessment and control of postoperative pain in older people and (ii) explore potential barriers to achieving more advantageous pain control in this group. It is suggested that to improve pain management there is a need to individualize pain assessment for older people and to assist clinicians with enhancing their education and decision‐making abilities in this field. This may best be achieved by supporting a programme of change to develop the skills of staff and encouraging learning through reflective practice. There is however a need for further research in this area.     

Short term correlates of the Neuro Emotional Technique for cancer-related traumatic stress symptoms: A pilot case series

Introduction As many as one quarter of all cancer survivors report traumatic stress symptoms from cancer-related experiences. While the majority of these patients do not meet the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there is growing evidence that subsyndromal symptoms can significantly contribute to functional impairment and negative health outcomes. Treatment options for the hallmark symptoms of traumatic stress—unpleasant, intrusive thoughts and avoidant behaviors—have not been well investigated for the cancer survivorship population. Materials and methods Seven female cancer survivors with traumatic stress symptoms from cancer-related experiences and no other major psychopathology, were enrolled to receive three sessions of Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET), a brief, targeted treatment that combines traditional desensitization principles with complementary modalities. Results Psychological outcome measures (Impact of Event Scale (IES) and Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) and physiological measures (Heart Rate (HR) and Skin Conductance Level (SCL) demonstrated the following changes: 71% on IES, 88% SUD, 74% on HR, and 65% on SCL following the intervention. Statistically significant changes were observed for all four parameters, and effect size g for proportion improved were 0.50 each for IES, SUD, and HR, and 0.20 for SCL. Conclusions These cases suggest feasibility of the NET intervention for cancer-related traumatic stress and the potential for change in symptoms and physiological reactivity. Further investigation is needed to determine the specific and long-term effects of such an approach. Implications for cancer survivors Traumatic stress from cancer-related experiences might represent a constellation of symptoms that are amenable to brief, targeted interventions. This study was supported by the O.N.E. Research Foundation