1/36. paraplegia following intraoperative celiac plexus injection.The technique for percutaneous and open neurolytic celiac plexus injection, using ethanol or phenol, for relief of intractable pancreatic cancer pain has been well described. Prospective randomized studies, demonstrating safety and efficacy with few complications, have led to widespread acceptance and use of this palliative procedure. The complications of neurolytic celiac plexus injection are rare, and are usually minor. However, transient or permanent paraplegia has been reported previously in 10 cases. The case described herein represents the third reported case of permanent paraplegia following open intraoperative neurolytic celiac plexus injection using 50% ethanol. The literature surveying the indications for this procedure, routes of administration, known complications, and their pathophysiology are reviewed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = plexus (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/36. Painless aortic dissection presenting as high paraplegia: a case report.Acute aortic dissection is a catastrophic episode that usually presents as a sudden, painful, ripping sensation in the chest or back. Physical findings may include loss of pulses and aortic regurgitation. It is associated with neurologic sequelae in as many as one third of patients. Painless dissection occurs in 5% of patients. We report a case of painless aortic dissection, presenting as acute paraplegia. The patient was a 77-year-old woman who presented with paraplegia, with no chest or back pain. On examination, strength was 5/5 in both upper extremities and 0/5 in both lower extremities. Deep tendon reflexes were absent in her legs. She had no voluntary anal contraction. sensation was absent from T6 through S5. Computed tomography of the chest revealed a type A dissecting aneurysm. The vascular supply to the spinal cord and the differential diagnosis for new onset paraplegia are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.03270799957624keywords = chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/36. Acute thoracoabdominal aortic dissection presenting as painless, transient paralysis of the lower extremities: a case report.Acute dissection of the aorta can be one of the most dramatic of cardiovascular emergencies. Its symptoms can occur abruptly and progress rapidly. Prompt recognition and appropriate intervention is crucial. However, not all aortic dissections present with classic symptoms of abrupt chest, back, or abdominal pain, and the diagnosis may be missed. A 63-year-old woman presented with transient loss of lower extremity motor and sensory function as the only symptom of an acute thoracoabdominal aortic dissection. Aortic dissection presenting as a transient neurologic syndrome is quite unusual. The sudden onset of weakness and parasthesia can result from the interruption of blood flow to the spinal cord. These symptoms of acute spinal cord ischemia, suggestive of a serious cardiovascular event, must be recognized and thoroughly investigated.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.010902666525413keywords = chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/36. paraplegia: complication of percutaneous central venous line malposition.Percutaneously inserted central venous lines are usually a safe and effective means of securing prolonged central venous access but can have serious complications. One patient who experienced clinically important morbidity related to inadvertent malpositioning of a central venous catheter is described. It was inserted via the left saphenous vein into the lumbar venous plexus and resulted in milky cerebrospinal fluid, urine retention, and paraplegia. Reviewing the literature, only 11 patients with the same malposition were reported, three of them with percutaneously inserted central venous lines. In these three patients and our patient the left saphenous vein was used. Neurologic sequelae of paraplegia and urine retention were recorded in 25% (3/12) of patients. The mortality rate approached 42% (5/12) but only two patients were related to catheter misplacement. Although the complication rate is extremely low and difficult to recognize, catheter malposition into the ascending lumbar vein can lead to lethal complications.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.14285714285714keywords = plexus (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/36. Bilateral extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy in a spinal cord injury patient with a cardiac pacemaker.OBJECTIVES: To review the precautions to be observed before and during extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients with a cardiac pacemaker and the safety of bilateral ESWL performed on the same day. DESIGN: A case report of bilateral ESWL in a SCI patient with a permanent cardiac pacemaker. SETTING: The Regional spinal injuries Centre, Southport, the lithotripsy Unit, the Royal Liverpool University hospitals NHS trust, Liverpool, and the Department of cardiology, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK. SUBJECT: A 43-year-old male sustained a T-4 fracture and developed paraplegia with a sensory level at T-2. During the post-injury period, he developed episodes of asystole requiring implantation of a dual chamber (DDD) permanent pacemaker. Twenty-one months later, he developed a right ureteric calculus with hydronephrosis. A radio-opaque shadow was seen in the left kidney with no hydronephrosis. During right ureteric stenting, the ureteric stone was pushed into the renal pelvis. 1,500 shock waves were delivered to this stone on the right side, followed by ESWL to the left intra-renal stone with 1250 shock waves. RESULTS: The patient tolerated ESWL to both kidneys. The pacemaker was reprogrammed to a single chamber ventricular pacing mode at 30 beats per minute with a reduced sensitivity during lithotripsy. There were no untoward cardiac events during or after lithotripsy. The serum creatinine was 45 micromol/l before lithotripsy and 44 micromol/l two weeks after ESWL. CONCLUSION: SCI patients with a cardiac pacemaker may be able to undergo extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy following temporary reprogramming of the pacemaker. Bilateral, simultaneous ESWL is safe in the vast majority of patients provided that there is no risk of simultaneous ureteric obstruction by stone fragments. However, it should be remembered that a decrease in renal function could occur following bilateral ESWL of renal calculi.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.021805333050827keywords = chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/36. diagnosis of psychogenic paralysis: the role of motor evoked potentials.BACKGROUND: In the nineties, there has been evidence that motor evoked potential (MEP) studies might improve the diagnosis of psychogenic paralysis. OBJECTIVE: To review a series of patients (1986-1999) who finally had a diagnosis of psychogenic paralysis at our Institutions. To detect if, over that period, the time taken to make the diagnosis had changed, and, if so, this had any relationship to the diagnostic tests used or to other variables. methods: We selected a patient sample (n=21) seen by the same team of neurologists, whose diagnostic criteria were homogeneously based on the DSM IV, and who were studied with MEPs. We analysed their clinical features, the type and timing of the investigations done, and the time taken to make the diagnosis. These variables acted as the dependent factors in a multivariate analysis of Variance (MANOVA) model, in which the year of observation was the fixed factor. RESULTS: The diagnosis was 50% earlier in the period 1993 to 1999 (10 patients) than in the period 1986-1992 (11 patients) (F = 28.3, p < 0.0001). The only associated change was an earlier MEP study (F=18.4, p < 0.0001), which invariably showed normal findings. CONCLUSION: MEP studies contributed to speed up the diagnosis of psychogenic paralysis. Possibly, normal MEPs rendered the neurologist confident about the physiological integrity of motor fibers in the corticospinal tract, anterior roots and plexuses. Such integrity, if nerve trunks and muscles are intact, and in the appropriate diagnostic context, implies a psychogenic cause for paralysis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.14285714285714keywords = plexus (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/36. Treatment of ischial pressure ulcers with a posteromedial thigh fasciocutaneous flap.This study describes the use of the posteromedial thigh fasciocutaneous flap for the treatment of ischial pressure sores. The authors prefer this flap because it is the fasciocutaneous flap nearest to the ischial region, it is easy to raise, and it causes no donor-site morbidity. In this study, 11 ischial pressure sores in 10 paraplegic patients were closed using the posteromedial thigh fasciocutaneous flaps. All flaps survived, although two caused distal necrosis; after these same two flaps were readvanced, they survived. After an average follow-up time of 77 months, seven of the 10 patients have had no recurrence of ulcers.This fasciocutaneous flap was previously described by Wang et al. However, this study revealed that the arrangement of the vascular pedicle was different from that described by Wang et al. To reveal the vascular supply of this flap, anatomic dissections were conducted. The source of circulation to this flap was the suprafascial vascular plexus, in addition to the musculocutaneous perforator. The dominant pedicle was the musculocutaneous perforator from either the adductor magnus muscle or the gracilis muscle. The key to safe elevation of this flap was the accurate outlining of the skin island directly over the vascular pedicle and the preservation of the proximal fascial continuity. Of the 11 flaps, two viability problems occurred. These partial flap losses resulted from the failure to properly include the perforator. It is the authors' conclusion that the width of the flap should be greater than 5 cm. In addition, it is safe to make a flap within a 1:3 base-to-length ratio in a fatty, diabetic patient. This posteromedial thigh fasciocutaneous flap was found to be a valuable alternative for reconstruction of primary or recurrent ischial pressure ulcers.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.14285714285714keywords = plexus (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/36. Persistent paraplegia after an aqueous 7.5% phenol solution to the anterior motor root for intercostal neurolysis: a case report.A 55-year-old white man with severe scoliosis and chest deformity was scheduled for an intercostal neurolysis for pain relief with 7.5% aqueous phenol solution. A 20 G needle was inserted 3 to 4cm lateral to the midline of the spine under the 10th right rib. After negative aspiration for blood and alcohol, 6mL of a 7.5% aqueous phenol solution was injected. Within a minute after the injection, the patient felt a warm sensation in his right leg, followed by loss of leg motor and sensory function on both sides. A lumbar puncture done 3.5 hours after the block showed a phenol concentration of 87.5 microg/mL. The most likely explanation is a diffusion of the phenol through the intervertebral foraminae reaching the spinal space and therefore damaging the motor and sensory roots. This case highlights the danger associated with phenol application in the vicinity of the spinal cord.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.010902666525413keywords = chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/36. Transient paraplegia as a presenting feature of aortic dissection in a young man.This report describes a case of aortic dissection in a 32 year old man who presented with mild central chest pain and transient paraplegia. Complete recovery of paraplegia in aortic dissection has previously been reported but this is the first case report in which full resolution of the paraplegia occurred within half an hour of presentation. The case emphasises the importance of careful history taking and eliciting subtle clinical signs, which helped in arriving at the correct diagnosis in this unusual presentation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.010902666525413keywords = chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/36. Spinal cord injury in the newborn infant.Birth injury to the spinal cord secondary to traction forces during delivery is a common but frequently undiagnosed disorder. The injury usually affects the cervicodorsal junction, with both extradural hematoma and direct cord damage at that level. Clinical findings of a paraplegic infant with abdominal breathing are sometimes obscured by secondary pneumonia and/or hypoxia. Radiologic manifestations include a bell shaped chest indicative of loss of the external muscles of respiration; spinal roentgenograms are usually normal. myelography in neonatal spinal injury demonstrates a block in the subarachnoid space; infrequently localized cord atrophy may be identified.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.010902666525413keywords = chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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