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Biomedical subjects

J Ovesen

Publications and source records attributed to J Ovesen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Psoas abscess in pyogenic sacroiliitis].

A 47-year-old man was admitted with septic fever over a few days. A CT-scan showed a psoas abscess, which was drained by surgery. In the meantime antibiotics were started. In spite of this treatment, he continued to have septic fever. Bone scintigraphy and MR-scan showed activity in the right sacroiliac joint compatible with sacroiliitis. The joint was opened surgically and revised. The patient was treated with antibiotics for nine weeks and was fully restituted. It must be concluded that the psoas abscess was secondary to the sacroiliitis, a rare event.

Anti-Bacterial Agents

[Multiple fractures following seizures in a pregnant woman].

A 27-year-old woman, immigrated from Libanon, pregnant and at term was admitted with pain in the lower abdomen. The history was badly recognized because of the patient's inability to speak Danish. X-ray revealed a fracture of the left acetabulum with a minor central dislocation of the femoral head. During a new seizure she had another fracture of the right acetabulum also with a minor central dislocation of the femoral head and an undisplaced fracture of the proximal humerus on the left side. She was then delivered by a caesarean section. The seizures were later found to be due to grand mal type epileptic attacks. This case underlines the importance of a careful clinical and radiological investigation of patients with complaints of pain related to the central joints after seizures.

Accidental Falls

Airway dimensions and head posture in obstructive sleep apnoea.

The present cephalometric study aimed to describe the antero-posterior diameters of the pharyngeal airway in a sample of 50 male obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients and a reference sample of 103 male students, and to examine the relationship between these diameters and the posture of the head and the cervical column. Subjects were recorded in the cephalometer standing with the head in its natural position (mirror position). Pharyngeal airway diameters were measured at seven levels ranging from the maxillary tuberosity to the vallecula of the epiglottis. The largest difference was observed at the level behind the soft palate where the diameter was 50 per cent narrower in the OSA sample than in the reference sample. Extension of the cranio-cervical angle and forward inclination of the cervical column were correlated with an increase in the three most caudal airway diameters in the OSA sample: at the uvula, the root of the tongue, and the epiglottis, but only to increase in the lowest diameter in the reference sample. The findings were considered to reflect a compensatory physiological postural mechanism that serves to maintain airway adequacy in OSA patients in the awake erect posture, most efficiently so at the lowest levels of the oropharyngeal airway.

Adult

Intrathoracic pressure variations in obese habitual snorers.

Six obese patients with complaints of snoring and daytime fatigue were monitored with polysomnography (PSG) and continuous recording of esophageal pressure (Pes) during 1 night. Nonapneic episodes in different sleep stages, with and without snoring, were selected and analysed. Peak to peak pressure was found to be significantly increased during snoring in sleep stages 2 and 3/4 with blood gas variations within the limits of normal unobstructed breathing, indicating increased respiratory effort. The present investigation supports the assumption that daytime tiredness in nonapneic patients can be linked to increased respiratory effort during sleep and that continuous esophageal pressure measuring may contribute to assessment of this condition.

Adult

Head posture in obstructive sleep apnoea.

In growing subjects, obstruction of the upper airway may lead to excessive vertical facial development. According to the soft-tissue stretching hypothesis (Solow and Kreiborg, 1977) this could be due to an increased cranio-cervical angulation triggered by the airway obstruction. The present study aimed to examine the effect of airway obstruction on cranio-cervical posture in a sample of adult patients with severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Lateral cephalometric radiographs taken in the natural head position (mirror position) were obtained from 50 male patients aged 28-70 with polysomnographic diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea. The Apnoea Index ranged from 21 to 98 episodes per hour with a mean of 54.6. Control samples were available from previous cephalometric studies of head posture in five samples of healthy subjects and one sample of congenitally blind subjects. The average cranio-cervical angle, NSL/OPT, was found to be extremely large (mean 104.1, SD 9.1) exceeding the average values in the control samples by 1-2 standard deviations (P < 0.001). It is suggested that the large cranio-cervical angle in OSA patients is a physiological adaptation aiming to maintain airway adequacy while the head, and thus the visual axis, is kept in its natural relationship to the true vertical. The findings thus provide evidence for the hypothesis that upper airway obstruction may trigger an increase in the cranio-cervical angulation.

Adaptation, Physiological

Bilateral facial palsy caused by the Borrelia spirochete.

A case of total left peripheral and partial right peripheral facial palsy caused by the Borrelia spirochete is presented. The diagnosis was confirmed by the history of the tick-bites and elevated titers of IgG in serum and cerebrospinal fluid.

Adult

Alternative treatment of obstructive sleep apnea: nasal-CPAP continuous positive airway pressure.

The upper airway of patients with obstructive sleep apnea is often characterised by a narrow lumen and increased compliance of the pharyngeal wall. During inspiration, a negative inspiratory pressure is developed which may produce occlusion in the pharynx. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) works as a pneumatic splint dilating the upper airway and thus keeping the airway open. The result is a patent airway, free regular breathing during sleep with no oxygen desaturations and normal sleep architecture. Irregular pulse, fluctuations in blood pressure, increased levels of catecholamines recorded during sleep in patients with obstructive sleep apnea are normalised during CPAP treatment.

Contraindications

[Anesthesia for single-day orthopedic surgery].

During the period 1 January 1989 to 31 December 1989, a total of 1,004 patients were submitted to outpatient single-day surgery in Aalborg Hospital. As fas as possible, the patients were anaesthetized with propofol (Diprivan)/alfentanil (Rapifen) and oxygen and atmospheric air. This form of anaesthesia was found to be rapid and suitable for single-day surgery. 8.1% of the patients required admission for further observation, 2.3% of these on account of anaesthesiological complications. It is concluded that, by means of meticulous planning, it is possible to carry out ambulant anaesthesia and surgery and, employing limited staff resources, it has proved possible to reduce the waiting time for outpatient intervention to 10-12 weeks.

Adolescent

Distal humeral migration as a component of multidirectional shoulder instability. An anatomical study in autopsy specimens.

The object of the present study of autopsy specimens was to evaluate distal humeral migration during abduction allowed by sequential severance of capsular and ligamentous structures stabilizing the shoulder joint. A kinesiologic testing device continuously registered distal humeral migration, abduction angle, rotation, and flexion-extension. No distally directed force was applied to the humerus except the weight of the apparatus. Significant distal migration was recorded in the entire range of abduction (0 degrees -60 degrees) after solitary severance of the coracohumeral ligament as well as the proximal part of the anterior joint capsule. Further sectioning of the proximal part of the posterior capsule did not significantly increase distal humeral migration. Maximum distal migration (25 mm) was measured at 20 degrees of abduction. Applying an internal torque to the humerus significantly prevented distal migration as long as the posterior capsule was kept intact. Clinical testing for distal humeral migration should be performed with the shoulder joint at 20 degrees of abduction and neutral rotation. Furthermore, distal humeral migration can be significantly reduced by internal rotation of the humerus when the posterior joint capsule is intact.

Aged

The stability of the elbow following excision of the radial head and transection of the annular ligament. An experimental study.

The stabilizing role of the lateral ligament complex and the radial head were investigated in ten osteoligamentous elbow preparations. The annular ligament was the prime stabilizer of the lateral aspect of the elbow. Transection of the annular ligament caused maximal varus and external rotatory instability of 13.7 degrees and 32.8 degrees respectively, with an elbow flexion about 70 degrees. Isolated excision of the radial head caused slight varus and external rotatory instability of 4.8 degrees and 10.4 degrees respectively, with an elbow flexion about 40 degrees. The lateral collateral ligament had only a minor stabilizing function of the elbow. The stability of the elbow after excision of the radial head may be improved by proper preservation of the annular ligament.

Elbow Joint

Transposition of coracoacromial ligament to humerus in treatment of vertical shoulder joint instability. Clinical applicability of experimental technique.

Treatment of experimental distal subluxation in the shoulder joint was achieved by transposition of the coracoacromial ligament and its bony attachment from the acromion to the lesser tuberosity of the humerus. This transposition also reduced external rotation in the first 40 degrees of abduction. The method, which was applied in two clinical cases of distal subluxation, proves reasonable from a biomechanical point of view and yields satisfactory primary clinical results.

Acromion

Experimental elbow instability after transection of the medial collateral ligament.

In 12 osteoligamentous autopsy elbow preparations, the stability of the elbow was independent of the collateral ligament with flexion of less than 20 degrees and greater than 120 degrees. The anterior part of the collateral medial ligament was the prime stabilizer of the elbow in this range of motion, i.e., the flexion range of function. The maximum valgus and internal rotatory instability after transection of the medial collateral ligament, 20.2 degrees and 21.0 degrees, respectively, were found at elbow flexions from 60 degrees to 70 degrees. Selective repair or reconstruction of the anterior part of the elbow medial collateral ligament may prove to be effective in the treatment of acute or chronic elbow instability.

Biomechanical Phenomena