1/110. Meralgia paresthetica secondary to limb length discrepancy: case report.Meralgia paresthetica consists of pain and dysthesia in the lateral thigh caused by entrapment of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (L2-L3) underneath the inguinal ligament. Abdominal distension, tight clothing, and hip hyperextension are all described causes of this condition. To our knowledge this has never been attributed to a limb length discrepancy. We present a 51-year-old man with a long-standing history of right sided meralgia paresthetica. history and physical and radiological examination were unrewarding except that his left leg was shorter than the right by 2 cm. Nerve conduction studies of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve on the left had a normal latency and amplitude but were absent on the right. To prove the hpothesis that the limb length discrepancy was responsible for the condition, a single subject study was performed. The presence or absence of pain and dysesthesia in the right thigh was the observed behavior. Intervention consisted of wearing a 1.5-cm lift in the left or right shoe for 2 weeks each with an intervening 2-week lift-free period. Pain was recorded on a numeric scale and numbness as being present or absent. There was continuing pain without and with the lift in the right shoe but no pain or numbness with the lift in left shoe. It was concluded that the limb length discrepancy was responsible for the meralgia paresthetica. Pertinent literature and possible pathomechanics are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cord (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/110. Surgical treatment of vascular lesions of the spinal cord.Paravertebral block and resection of upper thoracic sympathetic ganglions were performed on cases in which vascular disturbance of the spinal cord was considered partly responsible. Block was performed in 14 cases and clinical improvement was seen in 10 cases out of them while resection was considered effective in 2 out of 3 cases. The evoked EMG of patients was assumed recovery of a part of synaptic function in the ischemic cord after the block. On the other hand, the skin temperature of the lower extremity did not show considerable change and this supports the view that the restoration of clinical picture was not due to the improvement of the periphral circulation of extremities. From these observations, it would be well presumed that favorable effect of sympathectomy consists partly in the improvement of vascular disturbance of the spinal cord.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 108.30078854502keywords = spinal cord, spinal, cord (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/110. Lessons to be learned: a case study approach: prolonged methaemoglobinaemia due to inadvertent dapsone poisoning; treatment with methylene blue and exchange transfusion.The authors present a case of methaemoglobinaemia of acute onset, with an unusually protracted course. The long persistence of this disorder led to a search for the cause which was eventually traced to medication with dapsone. The latter was found to be inappropriately being taken by the patient instead of an antispasmodic that had been prescribed for a spinal condition; this was because the tablets had been incorrectly labelled and dispensed in a pharmacy. The patient took increasing doses of the presumed 'antispasmodic' tablets as they seemed to lack clinical effect, thus further exacerbating the toxic consequences. Moreover, the patient brought his wrongly labelled tablets into hospital and was allowed to use them there, contrary to normal hospital policy. As treatment for the methaemoglobinaemia both bolus and continuous infusions of methylene blue were used, which probably contributed to the severe haemolysis which followed. Furthermore, the development of a rare side effect of dapsone toxicity, namely that of a sensorimotor neuropathy, is reported.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4.9956419761444keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/110. Dermal sinus and intramedullary spinal cord abscess. Report of two cases and review of the literature.Intramedullary abscesses of the spinal cord are uncommon. Most of them occur in association with heart, pulmonary or urogenital infections. We report two cases of intramedullary spinal cord abscesses secondary to congenital dermal sinus. Only 14 cases of such an association have previously been reported. In our cases, dermal sinus was associated with an epidermoid tumour. The clinical presentation, pathogenesis, magnetic resonance imaging findings, surgical management and outcome are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 107.30078854502keywords = spinal cord, spinal, cord (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/110. Gabapentin for the treatment of dysesthetic pain after reconstructive surgery.BACKGROUND: Debilitating, postoperative dysesthetic pain after reconstructive surgery is a rare but problematic complication. Conventional therapy is either marginally effective or fraught with side effects. Gabapentin is a new, novel antiepileptic drug helpful in the management of other pain states. OBJECTIVE: A case of disturbing, postoperative dysesthetic pain after reconstructive surgery is presented. methods: A trial of gabapentin in escalating dose was initiated and the results and side effects were recorded. RESULTS: Treatment with gabapentin was associated with a substantial decrease in pain, which relapsed after tapering the medication. Relief was obtained with dose escalation, and a successful taper was eventually accomplished. Side effects were minimal. CONCLUSION: This is the first reported use of gabapentin in the treatment of postoperative dysesthetic pain. Although this type of neuropathic pain is difficult to manage, gabapentin produced substantial relief with few side effects. Further investigation is warranted.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cord (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/110. carbofuran-induced delayed neuropathy.BACKGROUND: Although carbamates have been widely used in the world for many years, carbamate-induced delayed neuropathy is rare. We report what appears to be delayed neuropathy caused by poisoning with carbofuran, a cholinesterase-inhibiting carbamate, although the certainty of diagnosis is somewhat limited by the lack of a sural nerve biopsy and spinal fluid examination. CASE REPORT: A 23-year-old man attempted suicide by ingesting 100 mL of carbofuran (2,3-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-7-benzofuranyl methylcarbamate). After recovering from acute cholinergic toxicity, he had notable paresthesia in his lower limbs and difficulty walking. Electrophysiologic findings revealed sensorimotor neuropathy. Recovery began at 1 week and continued for 4 months. A similar delayed neuropathy has been described with carbamate, 1-naphthyl N-methylcarbamate, and m-tolyl methylcarbamate, but not with carbofuran insecticides.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4.9956419761444keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/110. Self-limited recurrent multifocal neurological symptoms, headache, and cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytic pleocytosis: a benign syndrome with a predilection for young adult men.Two young men, aged 34 and 30 years, developed transient recurrent multifocal neurological symptoms with associated severe headache over a 2-week period. Both had a lymphocytic pleocytosis in their cerebrospinal fluid. Cranial imaging studies were normal. All symptoms resolved without recurrence. Although the cause and pathogenesis are undefined, this self-limited benign neurological syndrome may be more common than previously recognized and has a predilection for young adult men.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 24.978209880722keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/110. Lumbar spinal synovial cyst presenting with neurological deficit. A case report and review of the literature.A spinal synovial cyst is a rare condition. We reported a case of lumbar spinal synovial cyst presenting neurological deficit. A 78-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with the low back pain radiating to the left buttock. A myelography with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed an extradural cystic lesion at the L5 and S1 level. At the time of surgery, a standard posterior approach was used to expose the posterior elements from L5 to S1. An en bloc laminectomy and total removal of the cyst was performed at the L5 to S1 level. The postoperative recovery was uneventful except for a slight pain in the left leg which persisted for some time.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 29.973851856866keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/110. Clinical evaluation criteria for the assessment of impaired pain sensitivity by thulium-laser evoked potentials.OBJECTIVES: Cortical potentials evoked by carbon dioxide laser pulses have been applied in clinical practice to study nociceptive pathways for several years. In this study, we evaluate the properties of an infrared laser (thulium-YAG) with a penetration depth in the skin that matches the intracutaneous depth of nociceptors.methods: Temperature measurements and modelling showed that the thulium laser generates painful intracutaneous temperatures with less surface heating than the carbon dioxide laser and with no side effects (up to 600 mJ pulse energy). To develop clinical evaluation criteria, laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) were recorded from 3 midline positions (Fz, Cz, Pz) versus linked earlobes in 23 healthy subjects. Within a session, two skin areas were studied twice in a balanced sequence using randomized interstimulus intervals and two intensities in randomized order.RESULTS: After hand and foot stimulation with 540 mJ pulses, all subjects showed reproducible biphasic vertex potential, consisting of a negativity (hand: 210 ms, foot: 250 ms) and a positivity (hand: 330 ms, foot: 380 ms). Mean habituation of the vertex potential amplitude across runs was 25% (hand) or 16% (foot); due to the balanced sequence it did not affect the other comparisons. Following foot stimulation, peak latencies were significantly longer (by 40-50 ms) and amplitudes were significantly smaller than following hand stimulation (22.5 /-6.7 vs. 30.3 /-10.9 microV, mean /-SD). Using 2. 5 standard deviations from the mean as a cut-off, absolute normative values were determined for peak latencies and amplitudes. In addition, relative normative values were determined for paired comparisons (hand-hand, foot-foot, hand-foot).CONCLUSIONS: The thulium-YAG laser is a useful tool for assessment of impaired pain sensitivity. Representative case reports illustrate that unlike for early SEP components, the most frequent LEP abnormalities were amplitude differences.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cord (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/110. Revision of a spinal column stimulator lead without lead replacement.OBJECTIVE: The objective of this case report is to describe a technique for percutaneous spinal column stimulator (SCS) revision without lead replacement. CASE REPORT: A 35-year-old woman with a single-lead SCS implanted for control for left lower extremity pain underwent revision of her SCS lead because of loss of stimulation paresthesia in the area of pain. Using the method described, the lead was revised without lead replacement. CONCLUSION: SCS leads can be revised without placement of a new lead.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 24.978209880722keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
| | Next -> |