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Biomedical subjects

D B Levine

Publications and source records attributed to D B Levine.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

Fragmentation of the distal pole of the patella in spastic cerebral palsy.

Of eighty-five consecutive patients, thirteen to twenty years old, with spastic cerebral palsy involving one or both extremities (thirty-five patients seen at one institution and fifty, at another), four had roentgenographic evidence of fragmentation of the distal pole of the patella. In addition, three other patients with six spastic lower extremities, four of them with patellar fragmentation, were also included. In these seven patients, there were nine knees with patellar fragmentation, twelve knees with patella alta, nine with a flexion contracture, five that were painful, and four with changes in the tibial tubercle resembling those found in Osgood-Schlatter disease. Excessive tension in the quadriceps mechanism, usually in the presence of a flexion contracture, appeared to cause the lesions. Four of the fragmented patellae healed after hamstring release and correction of the flexion deformity.

Achilles Tendon↗
PubMed1976

Adolescent scoliosis patients. Personality patterns and effects of corrective surgery.

Personality patterns of 84 adolescent scoliosis patients were assessed and an evaluation made of certain psychological effects of corrective surgery. Results indicate the following: Scoliosis has fewer psychologically debilitating effects on younger adolescents (those under 16) than it does on older adolescents; scoliotic boys show comparatively better general personality integration than girls; scoliotic girls are less disturbed in psychosexual development than are boys. Postoperatively, boys can be expected to show less overt incapacitation than girls; psychologically, boys will require a longer period of recuperation than will girls; boys can be expected to present fewer immediate management problems than girls; the internalization of a sense of "difference" from the normal in adolescent scoliotics increases in direct relation to age. Consequently, the eariler surgical correction can be undertaken the better. Important differences exist between the psychological "set" of male and female adolescent patients. For boys, self-acceptance is at the core. Postoperative surgical care should thus focus on reinforcing characteristics of personal adequacy, namely, the ability to compete, and fulfill reasonable goals. For girls, acceptance by others is paramount. Postoperative care is best directed toward strengthening feelings of attractiveness (of any personal characteristic), worth, and, above all, future interpersonal possibilities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

18-F scintimetric diagnosis of osteoid osteoma of the carpal scaphoid bone.

In a patient with symptoms suggestive of osteoid osteoma of the carpal scaphoid, 18-F scintimetry supported the diagnosis in the absence of clear cut roentgenographic signs. High concentration of 18-F in the area of the lesion allowed direct surgical approach and extirpation. The diagnosis was proven by histology.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Incidence and risk factors for mitral valve prolapse in severe adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is known to be associated with thoracic skeletal anomalies. To determine the incidence and risk factors for mitral valve prolapse in the adolescent population with severe idiopathic scoliosis (IS), a prospective follow-up study on 139 adolescent patients with IS from the Pediatric Orthopedic Service was undertaken. Data collected included age, sex, medical and family history, physical exam, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram, spinal x-rays, and pulmonary function tests. MVP was detected by echocardiogram in 13.6% (19/139) of patients with IS as compared with 3.2% in 154 age- and weight-matched controls (p < 0.006). All patients with MVP were asymptomatic and a systolic click or murmur was detected on the single preoperative exam only in 37% (7/19) of them. Patients with MVP and IS weighed less (45.1 +/- 2.0 vs 51.8 +/- 0.1 kg, p < 0.002) as compared with those IS patients without MVP. The electrocardiogram was abnormal in 21% (4/19) of patients with MVP as compared with only 1.6% (2/120) of patients with IS but no MVP. The two groups did not differ with respect to age at diagnosis, severity of scoliosis, positive family history of scoliosis, or the presence of restrictive lung disease. Though IS was more prevalent in females (79%), the presence of MVP was not related to gender. MVP was persistent in 10 of the 19 patients reevaluated by echocardiogram 2-4 years after spinal surgery. We conclude that MVP is four times more common in patients with severe IS than in the normal adolescent population, and is associated with a lower body weight in IS patients with MVP than in IS patients without MVP. The persistent nature of MVP, even after corrective spinal surgery, may be related to factors other than geometric changes of the heart caused by abnormal thoracic curvature.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Early ambulation following spinal fusion and Harrington instrumentation in idiopathic scoliosis.

Eighty-six patients with idiopathic scoliosis managed by Harrington instrumentation and spinal arthrodesis were ambulated 10 days following surgery. Preoperative reduction of the curves was obtained by Cotrel traction and modified Cotrel localizer cast. Patients were kept immobilized in plaster cast for 7 months following operation. No significant loss of correction was found in these patients ambulated early as compared to a previous group kept recumbent for 3 to 6 months and reported by the authors (DBL). The only exception to this was a patient with double structural curve patterns. A successful surgical program for most cases of idiopathic scoliosis included: (1) Preoperative reduction and balancing of curves by non-skeletal traction and/or correction body cast; (2) Meticulous spinal arthrodesis and employment of Harrington distraction internal fixation; (3) Autogenous iliac bone graft; (4) Ambulation at two weeks following surgery in a well fitting body cast and removal of this cast after 7 months. Deep infection rate was 1 per cent without the use of routine prophylatic antibiotics. One neurological complication resulted from the use of a single distraction rod bridging two curves where the rod was not prebent to allow for kyphosis. There were no pseudarthroses. The average follow-up was 28 months with a range of 18-39 months.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Neonatal diagnosis, treatment and related factors of congenital dislocation of the hip.

The unstable hip can be diagnosed in newborns with acceptable accuracy. The following factors are associated with the newborn unstable hip: female preponderance, breech presentations, cesarean section deliveries, first borns, left hip involvement, the Caucasian race, and increased birth weight. These findings suggest that the newborn unstable hip is determined prior to delivery, possibly within the last 4 weeks of intrauterine life. Diagnosed at birth, treatment in the average case is relatively short-term, effective, and without complication.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Routine preoperative MRI and SEP studies in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

In this prospective study, 72 patients with the clinical diagnosis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis underwent routine preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and neurologic consultations. Forty-eight patients also had preoperative somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs). All patients had normal neurologic examinations. Abnormal findings included two patients with Chiari type I malformation and one with a finding of a fatty collection in a vertebral body. In four cases, interpretation of the MRI was suspicious or equivocal, necessitating a computed tomography myelogram or other additional studies for clarification. Abnormal preoperative SEP results were obtained in three patients, none of which proved significant. All surgical patients underwent instrumentation and fusion without incident. The results indicate that routine preoperative SEP is not necessary. Routine preoperative MRI is probably not indicated in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis if the patient has a normal neurologic examination.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Preoperative personality characteristics as predictors of postoperative physical and psychological patterns in scoliosis.

Four adaptive personality characteristics (trait anxiety, active--independent orientation, emotional poise, and level of cognitive development) were evaluated preoperatively in 50 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients undergoing spinal surgery. Postoperatively, three indices of physical recovery (quantity of analgesics taken, elimination difficulties, and number of days to discharge) and two of psychological state (anxiety and depression) were rated. Two of the four adaptive personality characteristics correlated significantly with postoperative physical and psychological reactions. Quantity of analgesics taken, elimination difficulties, anxiety, and depression were significantly related to (viz., predicted by) preoperative trait anxiety. Quantity of analgesics taken and anxiety were significantly related to level of cognitive development. Preoperative degree of curvature was significantly related to postoperative quantity of analgesics taken. Duration of the scoliosis was significantly associated with level of cognitive development, but not with postoperative physical or psychological adjustment.

Adolescent↗