1/19. Chronic paronychia, osteomyelitis, and paravertebral abscess in a child with blastomycosis.blastomycosis is an unusual fungal infection in children. It is often a chronic infection characterized by granulomatous and suppurative lesions. Clinical manifestations include either pulmonary findings or disseminated disease. Disseminated blastomycosis usually begins with a lung infection that spreads to the skin, bones, and central nervous system. This is a case report of a child with chronic blastomycosis presenting with chronic paronychia, fever, cough, malaise, and back pain. The child underwent surgical drainage of a paravertebral abscess and administration of intravenous amphotericin b. He was discharged in good condition on oral therapy with ketoconazole. The literature on blastomycosis, with particular emphasis on clinical presentations and management, is reviewed. When the history and physical examination suggest a chronic granulomatous or disseminated disease, such as tuberculosis, the physician must include blastomycosis in the differential.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/19. Disseminated coccidioidomycosis with intra- and paravertebral abscesses.We report a case of paravertebral and intravertebral abscesses caused by coccidioides immitis in a Japanese man. The patient had lived in arizona, United States, for 5 years, and suffered from overt disease after coming back to japan. culture of pus from the paravertebral abscess revealed coccidioides immitis, and a diagnosis of disseminated coccidioidomycosis was made. fluconazole (600 mg/day), taken orally, was started, and the abscesses surrounding the vertebral bodies disappeared after 2 years of treatment. The abscess in the vertebral bodies also responded to treatment, but a small lesion was still left in the 10th vertebral body after 2 years of treatment. coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection that is endemic in the southwestern united states and in Central and south america. Although coccidioidomycosis causes self-limiting flu-like illness or pneumonia, a small proportion of the infections progress to disseminated diseases. Because the incidence of coccidioidomycosis is increasing year by year, physicians not only in endemic but also in nonendemic areas have to consider coccidioidomycosis as one of the differential diagnoses when they examine patients from endemic areas.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/19. Rheumatoid arthritis of the cervical spine: current techniques for management.The incidence of rheumatoid arthritis in the European and North American population is significant. Rheumatoid arthritis can result in serious damage to the cervical spine and the central neuraxis, ranging from mild instability to myelopathy and death. Aggressive conservative care should be established early. The treating physician should not be lulled into a false sense of security by reports suggesting that cervical subluxations are typically asymptomatic [76-78]. Gradual spinal cord compression can result in severe neurologic deficits that may be irreversible despite appropriate surgical intervention when applied too late. [figure: see text] The treatment of rheumatoid disease in the cervical spine is challenging. Many details must be considered when diagnosing and attempting to institute a treatment plan, particularly surgical treatment. The pathomechanics may result in either instability or ankylosis. The superimposed deformities may be either fixed or mobile. The algorithm suggested by the authors can be used to navigate through the numerous details that must be considered to formulate a reasonable surgical plan. Although these patients are [figure: see text] frail, an "aggressive" surgical solution applied in a timely fashion yields better results than an incomplete or inappropriate surgical solution applied too late. When surgical intervention is anticipated, it should be performed before the development of severe myelopathy. patients who progress to a Ranawat III-B status have a much higher morbidity and mortality rate associated with surgical intervention than do patients who ambulate. Although considered aggressive by some, "prophylactic" stabilization and fusion of a [figure: see text] relatively flexible, moderately deformed spine before the onset of severe neurologic symptoms may be reasonable. This approach ultimately may serve the patient better than "observation" if the patient is slowly drifting into a severe spinal deformity or shows signs of early myelopathy or paraparesis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/19. Vertebral osteomyelitis mimicking bone metastasis in breast cancer patients.Vertebral osteomyelitis can be a diagnostic pitfall for physicians, since it is protean and often subtle in its clinical presentation. It can coexist with metastatic lesions or mimic vertebral bone metastasis. When it occurs in patients with breast cancer, who are prone to have bone metastasis, it can present perplexing diagnostic problems. Misdiagnosing vertebral osteomyelitis as bone metastasis or vice versa results in delayed diagnosis and inappropriate treatment and may cause serious morbidity. We emphasize this problem by presenting the cases of two patients with breast cancer whose clinical course was complicated by vertebral osteomyelitis. When the clinical course of breast cancer is different from this usual presentation, a different process should be suspected, and histologic diagnosis should be promptly sought. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy and culture of suspicious-appearing bony lesions is recommended as a rapid and reliable method of establishing a definite diagnosis in this circumstance.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/19. Intraspinal hematomas in hemophilia.We report herein a case of a intraspinal hematoma in a 9-year-old boy with factor ix deficiency. Replacement of factor ix resulted in resolution of symptoms. The most frequent presentations of intraspinal hematomas are neck or back pain, paresis, sensory impairment, and urinary retention. Intraspinal hematomas may have devastating sequelae, including hemiplegia and quadriplegia. The occurrence or development of sequelae are related to the length of time between onset of symptoms and factor replacement. Whenever the physician suspects intraspinal hematoma, immediate replacement should be given to obtain levels of 80-100% prior to any imaging studies. Factor levels should be maintained at 30-50% for 10-14 days while the patient is monitored closely with serial neurological examinations. Most patients respond to factor replacement, but laminectomy should be considered for intractable or progressive cases.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/19. The unique complications of coccidioidomycosis of the spine: a detailed time line of disease progression and suppression.STUDY DESIGN: A case report is presented. OBJECTIVE: We report a detailed time-line of disease progression and suppression in a patient with disseminated coccidioidomycosis of the spine. The importance of consistent and thorough treatment to prevent disease recurrence is underscored. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: coccidioides immitis is a dimorphic fungus that lives as a saprophyte in arid, alkaline soils and as a parasite in the tissues of its host. Endemic to the arid soil of the American Southwest and Central and south america, its disease prevalence is increasing. There are 100,000 new infections diagnosed each year, of which 34% are symptomatic. Of the symptomatic individuals 5-10% will develop a serious pulmonary infection and of those that have a serious infection less than 1% will develop chronic pulmonary disease and/or extrapulmonary dissemination. methods: A 36-year-old black woman with a 3-year history of recent migration to the desert Southwest and a family history of sarcoidosis presented to her primary care physician with shortness of breath and a cough of 2 months' duration. An anterior-posterior radiograph revealed bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy and sarcoidosis was diagnosed. The patient was placed on oral prednisone and progressively worsened. She was referred to the Orthopedic Clinic with a complaint of severe back pain. RESULTS: Plain radiographs of the lumbar spine revealed lytic erosion of the sacral promontory. Computed tomography confirmed the sacral lesion in addition to revealing involvement of the fifth lumbar vertebral body. Over the ensuing years the patient underwent a course of operative and chemotherapeutic therapies. She endured numerous complications of the disease, one of which is being reported for the first time. Control of her disease has been accomplished through radical surgical debridement, spinal stabilization with concomitant local and systemic chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence and distribution of coccidioidomycosis is increasing as is the likelihood of seeing its often unique and bizarre clinical manifestations and complications. If included in the differential diagnosis, the disease can be recognized earlier and the likelihood of numerous complications can be avoided. Once bony involvement is diagnosed a regimen of aggressive surgical debridement as well as consistent chemotherapy must be employed if remission and/or eradication of the illness are sought.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/19. actinomycosis or tuberculosis? A diagnostic dilemma.actinomycosis of spine is a very rare disease. Very few cases have been studied and reported in the past. The dilemma of distinguishing the condition from other disorders relies on the competency of the treating physician and a proper knowledge of the subtle radiological differences between these disorders especially in underdeveloped and developing countries where tuberculosis still has a very strong foothold. A rare atypical case of actinomycosis of spine resembling tuberculosis is presented.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/19. Regional migratory osteoporosis. A case report and review of the literature.Regional migratory osteoporosis (RMO) is an idiopathic disorder characterized by bouts of severe periarticular lower limb pain associated with rapidly developing localized osteoporosis. Symptoms often reverse spontaneously after six to nine months. recurrence of symptoms in an adjacent joint is a distinguishing feature. Routine laboratory tests are uninformative. Diagnosis is made after exclusion of more common entities. knowledge of RMO can prevent unnecessary invasive procedures. Vertebral osteoporosis has recently been associated with RMO. A 50-year-old physician developed the symptoms and signs of RMO superimposed upon well-documented idiopathic vertebral osteoporosis. This association should be recognized when evaluating lower limb pain.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/19. Endemic fluorosis with spinal cord compression. A case report and review.We report a case of spinal cord compression in a Mexican immigrant due to vertebral osteosclerosis from chronic fluoride intoxication. Endemic fluorosis is acquired through drinking water. groundwater sources with high fluoride content occur worldwide. The epidemiology, metabolism, and clinical features of fluorosis are reviewed. Greater physician awareness of this entity is important to identify correctly patients with this unusual and potentially devastating clinical disorder.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/19. Magnetic imaging of lumbar spine.The author compares the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning with other modalities in the diagnosis of lumbar disk pathology. As a result of his study, he cites three advantages of magnetic scanning: no ionizing radiation, visualization of the entire lumbar spine and more distinctly obvious image differences in the disks, adjacent tissue, nerve roots and epidural fat. He also notes greater physician satisfaction in assessing results of magnetic scanning.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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