Biomedical subjects

J D Law

Publications and source records attributed to J D Law.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Clinical and technical results from spinal stimulation for chronic pain of diverse pathophysiologies.

Spinal stimulation has been indicated for pain of peripheral deafferentation, but not for low-back pain. Technical and clinical records of 241 consecutive spinal stimulator recipients were reviewed, including: peripheral deafferentation pain (n = 44); predominant pain of low back, postlaminectomy (n = 96), and predominant pain of leg(s), postlaminectomy (n = 48). The groups were not statistically different with respect to important clinical features. For the postlaminectomy syndromes, only the technical results correlated significantly with outcome. Spinal stimulation actually yielded results as good for the 'failed back surgery syndrome' as for peripheral deafferentation pain, because newer technical methods were proven to stimulate the low back predictably.

Chronic Disease↗

PubMed1978

Reoperation after lumbar intervertebral disc surgery.

This retrospective study includes 53 patients who underwent reoperation after failure of lumbar disc surgery to relieve pain. All patients had leg pain before reoperation, which was successful in 28% of cases. Most clinical features, such as persistence or mode of recurrence of pain, radicular quality of pain, positive straight-leg raising, and myelographic root sleeve defects, were not helpful in predicting successful and unsuccessful reoperations. However, a significantly larger percentage of women than men had successful reoperations. Patients who had past or pending compensation claims, who had sensory loss involving more than one dermatome, or who failed to have myelographic dural sac indentations resembling those caused by a herniated disc did poorly with reoperation. A very convincing myelographic defect appears to be needed to justify reoperation at a previously unoperated location. Excision of scar alone or dorsal rhizotomy was of no avail in these cases.

Adult↗

PubMed1976

Diagnosis and treatment of abscess of the central ganglia.

The authors present four cases of abscess of the thalamus and basal ganglia and review an additional 10 cases from the literature. These abscesses appear to be metastatic and are usually associated with a cardiac septal defect or a preceding intrathoracic infection. Fever, elevated white blood count, and/or meningismus, in combination with angiography demonstrating an avascular mass, help distinguish abscess from tumor in this location. The authors advocate aspiration rather than excision.

Adult↗