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Biomedical subjects

E C Thompson

Publications and source records attributed to E C Thompson.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Lip and tongue function in multiple sclerosis: A physiological analysis.

A physiological analysis of the articulatory function of 16 adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) was performed using lip and tongue transduction systems. Sixteen nonneurologically impaired adults, matched for age, gender, and education, served as controls. The MS speakers demonstrated patterns of tongue function that were significantly different from those of the control speakers. Specifically, the MS speakers were found to have significantly reduced tongue strength, endurance, and rate of repetitive movements. In addition, preclinical signs of lingual dysfunction were evident in nondysarthric MS speakers on endurance and rate tasks when compared to control subjects. These physiological findings could account for the perceptual findings of impaired articulation and reduced intelligibility. No lip dysfunction was found on either the physiological or perceptual assessments.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Variability in upper motor neurone-type dysarthria: an examination of five cases with dysarthria following cerebrovascular accident.

The degree of diversity in the nature and extent of the physiological deficits which occur in subjects with dysarthria with similar neurological damage is demonstrated through the individual assessment profiles of five subjects with dysarthria following upper motor neurone (UMN) damage. The perceptual profiles of each subject were compiled using perceptual ratings of deviant speech parameters, intelligibility ratings from the Assessment of Intelligibility of Dysarthric Speech (ASSIDS), and perceptual judgements of subsystem function determined from the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment (FDA). For each individual, the perceptual profile of their speech impairments was compared and contrasted with the objective results of spirometric and kinematic assessments of respiratory function aerodynamic and electroglottographic evaluations of laryngeal function, pressure and strain gauge evaluations of articulatory function, and nasal accelerometric assessments of nasality. The outcomes of the individual perceptual and physiological profiles are discussed with respect to the presence of differential subsystem impairments both within each subject and between subjects with similar underlying pathophysiological deficits. The importance of interpreting the instrumental findings with respect to the interdependency of each of the motor speech subsystems, the limitations of perceptual assessments, and the advantages of utilising both perceptual and physiological analyses in the process of identifying treatment goals is discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Management of BB shot wounds to the heart.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to review our experience with BB shot injuries to the heart. DESIGN: This is a retrospective chart review. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three patients were found to have BB injuries to the heart. All patients were stable upon presentation. Echocardiography localized the BB pellets to the muscular septum. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: All patients were treated with nonoperative therapy. There was not mortality. One patient developed an interventricular conduction delay that resolved before discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Nonoperative management of stable patients who present with BB wounds to the heart is safe and effective if the BB is intramuscular. An echocardiogram should be used to localize the pellets and evaluate the pericardium.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Causes of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in neonates and children.

The causes of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in children were detailed in 1964 by Spencer. We investigated the causes of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in 165 children seen at our institution over a 13-year period. The most common causes of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in the hospitalized patients were necrotizing enterocolitis (44%), anal fissures (23%), and guaiac-positive stools of unknown cause (16%). The mortality rate was 5.4%. Necrotizing enterocolitis was the most common cause of death. Only 16 patients required surgery. Gastrointestinal hemorrhage is an infrequent cause of mortality and morbidity in hospitalized pediatric patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Gonoccocal endocarditis.

In the postantibiotic era, systemic complications from a gonococcal infection are rare. Females tend to have a higher frequency of gonococcal sepsis than males. In contrast, males have a higher rate of gonococcal endocarditis. This article describes a case of a previously healthy young male who presented with aortic insufficiency and blood cultures positive for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Despite adequate antibiotic coverage, the patient's aortic insufficiency worsened, requiring aortic value replacement before discharge from the hospital. The patient's recovery was uneventful.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

A critical review of the Couinaud technique of hepatic resection.

The Couinaud technique of left hepatic lobectomy involves the isolation and division of portal vein, hepatic artery, and biliary tributaries as a unit within the liver parenchyma. It saves time and minimizes blood loss by virtue of the common investment of the portal structures in a thick connective tissue sheath. Right hepatic lobectomy can be performed in a similar manner based on the same assumption that the biliary and vascular tributaries maintain a constant anatomic relationship with one another. We describe a patient who underwent right hepatic lobectomy by the Couinaud technique who (in retrospect) had congenital absence of a left hepatic duct. Because small bile ducts from the left lobe drained into the right hepatic duct deep to the sight of resection, obstructive jaundice resulted postoperatively, necessitating orthotopic liver transplantation. Presently, the patient is doing well 1 year after transplantation. When the Couinaud technique is used in the setting of a biliary anatomic variant, the results can be disastrous. This case illustrates that the Couinaud technique is unsafe unless biliary anatomic variants are excluded prior to hepatic lobectomy.

Bile Ducts↗
PubMed1995

Disorders of nasality in subjects with upper motor neuron type dysarthria following cerebrovascular accident.

The nasality of 19 subjects with upper motor neuron (UMN) damage following cerebrovascular accident (CVA), and 19 control subjects matched for age and sex, was investigated using both perceptual judgements of nasality and a modified version of the nasal accelerometric procedure described by Horii (1980). Nasality indices were calculated for each subject during the production of a series of nasal and non-nasal sounds, words, and sentences. Statistical comparison of the two groups revealed that the CVA subjects had significantly higher nasality indices on the production of nonnasal speech tasks than the controls. No significant difference was noted between the two groups on nasal tasks. Individual case by case examination of the accelerometer data confirmed the presence of hypernasality in 7 of the 19 CVA subjects. In contrast to the instrumental findings, the results of the perceptual judgements of nasality identified the presence of hypernasality, hyponasality, and normal nasal resonance within the CVA group.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Lip function in subjects with upper motor neuron type dysarthria following cerebrovascular accidents.

The lip function of 16 speakers with upper motor neuron damage following cerebrovascular accident (CVA), was investigated using instrumental measures. Sixteen, non-neurologically impaired adults matched for age and sex served as controls. The results of the instrumental investigations revealed that the CVA speakers had patterns of lip function that were significantly different from the control speakers. Specifically, on maximum force tasks, the CVA speakers were found to produce significantly lower maximum lip force values. Maximum rate of attempts at lip movement was also slower in the CVA speakers. In addition, the instrumental investigation revealed that the CVA speakers demonstrated a significant decline in pressure over the course of the task involving 10 attempts at maximum lip force. In contrast, the control speakers maintained a consistent level of force throughout the 10 repetitions/attempts. Overall, the findings suggest that the CVA speakers have deficits in maximum lip force, endurance of lip strength and rate of lip movements. Correlations conducted between instrumental measures of maximum lip strength and the perceptual ratings of overall intelligibility, precision of consonants, precision of vowels and length of phonemes revealed no significant relationship.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Elephantiasis nostras verrucosa.

Elephantiasis is an uncommon disease in the United States. We present a case of nonfilarial elephantiasis nostras verrucosa in a 14-year-old girl. Most commonly, the upper and lower extremities are affected; the disease, in this patient, was confined to the buttock. The patient has done well after excision and primary closure. The patient is currently undergoing pressure therapy 1 year after surgery. She has no evidence of recurrence. We present this case and review the literature.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Yersinia enterocolitica sepsis in a 3-week-old child.

Yersinia enterocolitica has been described with increasing frequency in the United States. Commonly, Y enterocolitica is a self-limiting gastrointestinal disorder, but occasionally it can lead to fulminant infection. This case report describes a 3-week-old male who succumbed to Y enterocolitica sepsis and reviews the literature.

Diarrhea, Infantile↗
PubMed1987

Computer-assisted instruction in curricula of physical therapist assistants.

This article compares the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) with written, programmed instruction between two groups of physical therapist assistant students. No significant difference in the amount of material learned or retained after completion of testing using either CAI or a written, programmed text was found in this group of 16 subjects. Learning style or attitude about computers did not correlate strongly with performance after the CAI. Findings suggest that more research is needed to support decisions related to fiscal allotments for computer use in college curricula.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Intrarater and interrater reliability of three isometric dynamometers in assessing shoulder strength.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of three separate isometric strength testing devices. Seventeen (10 female, 7 male) adult volunteers with no known shoulder dysfunction participated. Each subject's internal rotation, external rotation and abduction strength was measured with the Nicholas Manual Muscle Tester (MMT), Biodex Isokinetic Dynamometer, and Isobex 2.0. Two investigators administered the test to each subject with each device. Data were analyzed with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Ranges of the intrarater intraclass correlation coefficient (3,1) values for each muscle group with each device for both testers were as follows: Nicholas MMT = .84 to .97, Biodex = .97 to .99, and Isobex 2.0 = .95 to .98. Ranges of interrater intraclass correlation coefficient values for each device and muscle group were as follows: Nicholas MMT = .79 to .94, Biodex = .93 to .96, and Isobex 2.0 = .90 to .97. Time to complete testing was shortest for Nicholas MMT, followed by Isobex 2.0, then Biodex. Measurements taken on the same day by the same therapist appear to be highly reliable for all three devices. Measurements taken over a 3-day period by two therapists appear to be highly reliable for all devices and muscle groups with the exception of Nicholas MMT abduction (.79), which was moderately reliable.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of age and gender on laryngeal aerodynamics.

A computerized airflow/air pressure analysis system, the Aerophone II Model 6800 (Kay Elemetrics Corp.), was used to assess the effects of age and gender on laryngeal aerodynamics. A sample of 56 male and 53 female normal speaking subjects was divided into six age groups (20-30; 31-40; 41-50; 51-60; 61-70 and 71-80 years). The laryngeal aerodynamic parameters measured included phonatory (mean) flow rate, estimated subglottal pressure, laryngeal airway resistance, phonatory sound pressure level, phonatory power, and phonatory efficiency. Most comfortable phonation, vocal efficiency, and running speech tasks were used to collect the aerodynamic data. Comfortable pitch and loudness levels were used for each of these tasks. Age and gender effects were found for a number of the phonatory (mean) flow rate and phonatory sound pressure level values. Results failed, however, to indicate age or gender effects for the estimated subglottal pressure, laryngeal airway resistance, phonatory power and phonatory efficiency parameters. High intersubject variability was found for the phonatory flow rate, laryngeal airway resistance, phonatory power and phonatory efficiency values. Estimated subglottal pressure values, however, appeared to vary the least among subjects. The results are discussed with respect to factors that might influence laryngeal aerodynamics, such as underlying laryngeal anatomical and physiological age-related changes and gender-related differences. The clinical implications of the findings for the assessment and treatment of individuals with voice disorders using the Aerophone II are also discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Motor speech impairment in a case of childhood basilar artery stroke: treatment directions derived from physiological and perceptual assessment.

The perceptual and physiological characteristics of the speech of a nine year old child who suffered a basilar artery stroke at the age of five years were investigated using a battery of perceptual and physiological instrumental measures. Perceptual tests administered included the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment, a perceptual analysis of a speech sample based on a reading of the Grandfather Passage and a phonetic intelligibility test. Instrumental procedures included: spirometric and kinematic analysis of speech breathing; electroglottographic evaluation of laryngeal function, nasometric assessment of velopharyngeal function and evaluation of lip and tongue function using pressure transducers. Physiological assessment indicated the most severe deficits to be in the respiratory and velopharyngeal sub-systems with significant deficits in the articulatory sub-system, all of which resulted in severely reduced intelligibility. These results were compared and contrasted with the subject's performance on the perceptual assessment battery. In a number of instances the physiological assessments were able to identify deficits in the functioning of components of the speech production apparatus either not evidenced by the perceptual assessments or where the findings of the various perceptual assessments were contradictory. The resulting comprehensive profile of the child's dysarthria demonstrated the value of using an assessment battery comprised of both physiological and perceptual methods. In particular, the need to include instrumental analysis of the functioning of the various subcomponents of the speech production apparatus in the assessment battery when defining the treatment priorities for children with acquired dysarthria is highlighted. Treatment priorities determined on the basis of both the perceptual and physiological assessments for the present CVA case are discussed.

Basilar Artery↗