Extensor mechanism complications following total knee arthroplasty

Extensor mechanism complications following 281 knee arthroplasties that included patellar resurfacing, performed by two surgeons in one hospital over a 6-year period, were reviewed. The mean follow-up period was 42 months. There were 28 (10%) extensor mechanism complications: 3 quadriceps tendon ruptures, 5 patellar fractures, 4 patellar tendon ruptures, 11 recurring patellar subluxations, 4 cases of patellar pain, and 1 malrotated patella. Nine (3%) required further surgery. Surgical technique may have contributed to the tendon ruptures; patellar fractures occurred mainly in patients who had rheumatoid arthritis. Patients with patellar subluxation had abnormal preoperative valgus deformities of their knees and presented with this subluxation problem an average of 4 months after surgery, but it appeared to cause them less discomfort with time. Patellar resurfacing as part of a knee arthroplasty procedure is recommended but should be performed with care to the integrity and vasculature of the extensor mechanism.     

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.     

Intrafollicular blood flow during human ovulation.

Transvaginal ultrasonography with color flow mapping has been used to study changes in intrafollicular blood flow and morphology during follicular rupture and presumed ovulation in one human volunteer. Detailed monitoring started on day 11 of the menstrual cycle and the follicle began to rupture at 14.30 on day 13. This event was preceded by a defined rise and peak in the level of immunoreactive serum luteinizing hormone (LH) by 42 h and 17 h 20 min, respectively. Blood vessels were clearly visible in the inner ring of the follicle (the granulosa layer) at the time of the LH peak and part of the granulosa (probably containing the oocyte) started to detach before the follicle ruptured. The maximum value for the peak blood velocity in the inner vessels was observed 10 s after the start of follicular rupture and there was a concurrent increase in the impedance to blood flow, as reflected by the resistance index and the pulsatility index. The follicle took 14 min 29 s to empty and the corpus haemorrhagicum started to form about 1 min later. These preliminary data suggest that intrafollicular angiogenesis and changes in blood flow can be monitored by a relatively non-invasive technique. Changes in vascularity might be used to predict imminent ovulation and could possibly be identified or modified biochemically to help achieve or avoid a pregnancy.     

Endothelial function and aqueous humor flow rate in patients with Fuchs' dystrophy

Using a two-dimensional scanning fluorophotometer, we studied 50 subjects with symmetric ocular involvement of Fuchs' dystrophy without epithelial edema. Twenty-six subjects with confluent or nearly confluent cornea gutata with increased corneal thickness and 24 subjects with mild to moderate cornea guttata with normal corneal thickness were compared to normal control subjects. There were no statistically significant differences in endothelial permeability between the three groups. Corneal thickness was significantly increased in the subjects with confluent to nearly confluent guttae, however. These results suggest that endothelial pump function may be affected in subjects with advanced cornea guttata with stromal edema.     

Corneal crystals, myopathy and nephropathy: a new syndrome?

A case with ocular (corneal crystals and retinal pigment epithelial mottling), muscle (oropharyngeal and hand weakness and atrophy), and renal (proteinuria and hypertension) abnormalities is described. We believe that this represents a previously unrecognized syndrome.