1/10. Expeditious diagnosis of primary prosthetic valve failure.Primary prosthetic valve failure is a catastrophic complication of prosthetic valves. Expeditious diagnosis of this complication is crucial because survival time is minutes to hours after valvular dysfunction. The only life-saving therapy for primary prosthetic valve failure is immediate surgical intervention for valve replacement. Because primary prosthetic valve failure rarely occurs, most physicians do not have experience with such patients and appropriate diagnosis and management may be delayed. A case is presented of a patient with primary prosthetic valve failure. This case illustrates how rapidly such a patient can deteriorate. This report discusses how recognition of key findings on history, physical examination, and plain chest radiography can lead to a rapid diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical examination, physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/10. Oral extrusion of a screw after anterior cervical spine plating.STUDY DESIGN: A case report of a 76-year-old woman who retched up a screw from a cervical spine locking plate 5 years after anterior cervical spine fusion. The literature relevant to this topic is reviewed. OBJECTIVES: To report the rare but potentially life-threatening complication of oral screw extrusion after anterior cervical spine plating, to review the relevant literature on the topic, and to discuss the clinical management of instrumentation failure in anterior cervical spine plating. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Anterior cervical spine fusion and stabilization is a well-established procedure. Complications include instrumentation failure, which can progress to extrusion through the gastrointestinal tract. Management is dependent on the severity and progression of clinical and radiologic signs and symptoms. reoperation should be considered in certain cases. methods: A rare complication of anterior cervical spine plating in a 76-year-old woman 5 years after the initial operation is reported. The patient was assessed with serial physical examination and radiograph and one further follow-up 3 months after the first presentation. RESULTS: The patient was asymptomatic shortly after she retched up the screw, and at the 3-month follow-up was without evidence of progression of plate dislodgement. CONCLUSION: As reported, oral extrusion of cervical spine grafts or instrumentation is rare but potentially serious. Each case of instrumentation failure should be assessed individually to decide if conservative management is appropriate or if reoperation should be considered.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical examination, physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/10. Spontaneous rupture of a Dacron prosthesis.This case report concerns a spontaneous rupture of a Dacron prosthesis 19 years after its insertion. The rupture occurRed in the mid-graft portion, remote from the anastomoses and was not associated with proved infection. It was the result of an intrinsic deterioration of the graft textile structure. The patient recovered after insertion of a new Dacron graft. The authors discuss the incidence of graft degeneration and the causative factors. Lesions on the frame of the graft could be due to a variety of factors such as intrinsic Dacron graft factors, manufacturing, inappropriate utilization, physical, enzymatic or immunological factors.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.15708730829468keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/10. An unusual complication of a Medpor implant in nasal reconstruction: a case report.There are few implant materials which have been successfully used for nasal reconstruction. Of these, the medpor implant is the most accepted alloplastic material for reconstruction of the nasal framework. Here, an unusual complication of a medpor implant in nasal reconstruction is presented. A 24-year-old medical student suffering from a saddle nose deformity after a primary rhino plasty was admitted to our department. The medpor nasal implant was used to restore the nasal dorsum. The surgical result was appreciated by the patient. No problem was encountered during two years after surgery. Recently, the patient suffered from an asymmetry of the nasal dorsum. The physical examination revealed a step on the nasal dorsum with caudal mobility of the implant. The nasal implant was suspected to be broken. Multislice CT scan and ultrasonographic imaging of the implant were obtained. The radiologic evaluation of the region confirmed the fracture of the medpor nasal implant. Nasal reconstruction with a medpor implant is a good choice with low complication rates. This is the first case in the literature reporting a broken medpor nasal implant. Moreover, in this study a new method is described for imaging the medpor implant material.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical examination, physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/10. Mechanical trauma as a cause of late complications: after AneuRx Stent Graft repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms.We present a series of 4 patients in whom mechanical trauma was identified as a factor in the development of late complications after AneuRx Stent Graft placement for repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. In all 4 patients, Type I or III endoleaks (and pseudoaneurysms in 2 patients) were discovered several months after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair with the AneuRx device. Two patients had sustained blunt abdominal trauma in a car accident one had suffered a traumatic fall, and another had been participating in vigorous rowing activity. In all patients, the trauma had occurred several months before the diagnosis of endoleak or pseudoaneurysm (or both) was established. In all patients, follow-up computed tomographic scans identified the complications. In conclusion, blunt mechanical injury is an unrecognized factor contributing to the late failure of endovascular stent grafts. Vigorous physical activity may also contribute to graft disruption or to the separation of modular components.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.15708730829468keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/10. Utility of magnetic resonance imaging in evaluating inflatable penile prosthesis malfunction and complaints.The introduction of oral pharmacotherapy dramatically changed practice patterns in erectile dysfunction. The direct effect was to decrease the numbers of patients seeking penile implants; an indirect effect has been the changing ratio of new, to re-do operations. patients seeking replacement inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) surgery pose challenges both in diagnosis and management; in very select cases preoperative MRI can be useful in the evaluation of the patient's complaint and in planning operative management. Imaging can supplement the physical exam; in certain cases imaging will reveal: crural herniation, corporal distortion, corporal fibrosis, and hardware migration. Inflatable penile prosthesis has a high rate of satisfaction for patients (89%) and partners (70%). The principal reasons for dissatisfaction are penile shortening, pain and frustration with reoperation. If pain is not due to infection, it may be secondary to malpositioning, improper sizing, cylinder cross-overs, or herniation. After one or more reoperations, penile distortion may occur secondary to tunica albugenia thinning or fibrosis. A series of cases will be presented to highlight the utility of MRI for IPP problems, define normal appearance and abnormal appearance of penile hardware. Careful collaboration between the Urologist and Radiologist in the review and final dictation of these cases is warranted to properly document problems and to plan device replacement/penile reconstruction.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.15708730829468keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/10. epidural abscess and discitis complicating instrumented posterior lumbar interbody fusion: a case report.STUDY DESIGN: A case of epidural abscess and discitis following instrumented PLIF using a single carbon fiber interbody cage is presented. OBJECTIVE: To describe a previously unreported complication of epidural abscess and discitis following posterior lumbar interbody fusion using a single carbon fiber cage. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Various complications have been reported with PLIF. These include graft migration, pseudarthrosis, implant subsidence, epidural hemorrhage, incidental durotomy, arachnoiditis, transient or permanent neurologic deficits, persistence of pain, and wound infections. There are no reported cases of epidural abscess or refractory discitis associated with PLIF. methods: A 35-year-old infantryman on active duty with chronic low back pain and single-level lumbar disc degeneration underwent instrumented PLIF after reporting no improvement with 3 years of extension-based physical therapy and nonsteroidal pain medications. His back pain was reported improved at 6 weeks after surgery. At 12 weeks after surgery, he presented to the emergency department with intense back pain and fevers. Laboratory data were remarkable for elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (118) and c-reactive protein (38). Initial imaging studies, including a lumbar MRI, did not demonstrate any abnormalities. The patient continued to spike fevers, and a repeat lumbar MRI 1 week later clearly demonstrated the presence of an epidural abscess at the level of the PLIF surgery. The patient was treated with surgical debridement and epidural abscess drainage. The interbody cage was left in place. Surgical cultures identified staphylococcus aureus as the pathogen, and the patient was placed on intravenous vancomycin. During the ensuing 3 weeks, his clinical symptoms worsened and his radiographs demonstrated lucency in the region of his interbody cage. Repeat debridement was performed, and his interbody cage and pedicle screw instrumentation were removed 4 months after initial surgery. RESULTS: The disc space infection resolved following removal of the implants. Radiographs at 6 months after instrumentation removal demonstrated solid bilateral posterolateral arthrodesis. The patient returned to active duty 1 year after his initial surgery, reporting that his back pain was reduced compared with his preoperative level. CONCLUSIONS: There is a paucity of literature on epidural abscess and discitis as complications associated with PLIF. In this case, the infection persisted despite surgical debridement and intravenous antibiotics. The patient ultimately required removal of the interbody implant and posterior instrumentation. The patient developed solid posterolateral arthrodesis despite the presence of deep infection, which led to early implant removal 4 months after the initial surgery. This case underscores the potential importance of concomitant posterolateral fusion, particularly following wide laminectomy and facetectomy required for PLIF.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.15708730829468keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/10. Cochlear implant device failure: diagnosis and management.Complete, irreversible failure of the implanted receiver-stimulator of the Cochlear Corporation multichannel implant are relatively rare. However, as the implanted patient population grows, malfunctions may be expected. From the over 200 patients implanted at the University of michigan Medical Center, 6 patients with a complete and irreversible cochlear implant receiver-stimulator failure have been identified and treated. This represents a 3% failure rate. The amount of time between initial implantation and device failure ranged from 6 months to 3.5 years. Determination of device failure was made using psychophysical, electrophysiologic, and averaged electrode voltage measurements. The measurement of the average electrode voltages proved to be useful in determining the condition of the implant. Physiologic changes causing reduced electrical excitability were ruled out using psychophysical or electrophysiologic promontory testing. All patients were successfully explanted and reimplanted.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.31417461658935keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/10. Single electrode maps in device troubleshooting.This article presents case studies in which single-channel mapping was used with patients who were experiencing discomfort while using their cochlear implant devices. Repeated psychophysical testing together with integrity testing had failed to locate the source of the problem in each of the described cases. Single-channel mapping was then used as another means of device troubleshooting. Single-channel maps were created for each electrode across the array. In each case, the patient was able to identify the offending electrode(s) during the presentation of speech stimuli, whereas the problem had not been evident during psychophysical testing with pulse stimuli. Eliminating these electrodes from the map alleviated the problems experienced by these implant users in each case.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.31417461658935keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/10. Systolic aortic valve compression from partial dehiscence of an aortic valve homograft.Implantation of valve prostheses provide improvement of symptoms and prolongation of life in selected patients with valvular heart disease. Meticulous follow-up of patients after valve surgery is essential as complications of valve failure, valve dehiscence, valve thrombosis, and infection may occur. The major mode of failure of aortic valve homografts is valve regurgitation, which is readily detected by physical examination. We report a case of left ventricular outflow obstruction after implantation of an aortic valve homograft.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical examination, physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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