Biomedical subjects

F Longari

Publications and source records attributed to F Longari.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2002

[Balance disorders in the elderly].

In the elderly patient, instability is a syndrome in which a loss of balance, during ambulation or while standing, can give rise to falls, with consequent disability and morbidity. Maintaining the correct static and dynamic balance is known to be the result of the synergetic functioning of different systems. In old age, however, the efficiency of these mechanisms is impaired because of the physiological process of aging, which affects all of the organs and systems of the human body. Besides that, different concomitant causes such as cardiovascular and dysmetabolic pathologies, chronic pharmacological therapies etc. contribute to the aging of our organism. The object of this study was to evaluate 40 subjects, 21 males and 19 females, aged between 70 and 86, who were referred to us with craniofacial trauma consequent to a fall. Upon hospitalization, all of the patients were asked to fill in a questionnaire evaluating the incidence of the vertigo symptom as a possible cause of the falls. All of the subjects underwent the following clinicoinstrumental examinations: standard audiometric evaluation, vestibular tests, neurological and ophthalmic examination. Careful appraisal of the results obtained enabled us to conclude that balance disorders in the elderly patient are due to the synergetic action of three factors: aging, concomitant diseases and environmental factors. In conclusion, we can affirm that balance disorders giving rise to a fall in the elderly are attributable to the concomitance of different factors that determine a clinical state of imbalance, defined by some Authors with the term "presbivertigo". It follows that a suitable diagnostic protocol must be employed, comprising a detailed medical, pharmacological and functional history, a study both of the environmental conditions in which the patient lives and the modalities according to which the traumatic event occurred. It is, last of all, indispensable that steps be taken to improve these environmental conditions, such as choosing flooring materials, light fixtures, stairs, bathroom furnishings and suitable footwear promoting proper foot placement and support on the ground.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Epistaxis and climatic events].

Data concerning daily climatic conditions in the area of Perugia during 1987-1990 have been gathered and correlated to daily incidence of idiopathic nose-bleeding observed in the same area and during the same period (1064 patients on the whole). The aim was to verify the relation between climatic events and "epistaxis" phenomenon, relation that has been assumed since a long time but has never been scientifically demonstrated before. Following factors have been estimated: highest and lowest daily temperature, thermal gradient, atmospheric pressure and pressure gradient, relative humidity. Results of statistic correlations show that every climatic factors has a narrow range related to higher incidence of epistaxis and that nose-bleeding is likely conditioned by combination of critical values, as a low temperature with 4 degrees C daily gradient, a 716 mm Hg atmospheric pressure with 2 mm Hg negative gradient, a close to 100% relative humidity.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Pharyngeal cysts of branchial origin, a review of the literature and a clinical case report].

Nasal pharyngeal swellings are very often treated without a previous complete clinical examination of the patient and of the disease site. For this reason the recurrence rate of this pathology is quite high. The causes for this phenomenon are likely due to the benign aspect of the tumor and the easy approach to the pharynx. Leaving aside the therapeutical aspect, there are also multiple theories concerning the etiology of pharyngeal cyst based on epidemiological and histopathological observations. Branchiogenic origin very likely seems to be the cause of cystic swelling arising at the lateral side of the pharynx, between the Eustachian tube and the posterior tonsillar pillar. Examination of the case review collected from literature, revealed that diagnostic and therapeutical procedures performed by various authors seem to be very haphazard, ranging from simple physical examination and puncture draining to CT and/or MRI scanning and external trans-mandibular approach to the cyst. The authors describe one case of a subject with a pharyngeal branchial cyst, who had been previously undergone puncture drainage. The correct diagnosis was achieved through MRI and cytologic examination of the fluid aspirated from the cyst. With MRI it was possible to make a correct topo-diagnosis, which localized the position of the cyst in the left pharyngo-tonsillar recesses, medial to the pharyngeal constrictor muscles. MRI also confirmed the absence of fistulous ducts connected to the cyst. These clinical and laboratory data induced us to use an intra-oral approach to the cyst, which was removed by blunt dissection. Physical examination and MRI were repeated six months later and showed the complete removal of the cyst and the presence of a synechia between the upper part of the left posterior pillar and the pharyngeal wall. No further treatment was given because of the absence of symptoms. The authors stress the importance of less invasive surgery in the case of pharyngeal cyst possible after detailed monitoring of the disease site with modern computed tomography CT, MRI.

Adult↗