Intermittent erection in spinal canal stenosis.
A case of intermittent erection in a patient with spinal canal stenosis is reported. The symptoms disappeared after lumbar laminectomy. The mechanism of erection remains speculative.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R K Laha.
A case of intermittent erection in a patient with spinal canal stenosis is reported. The symptoms disappeared after lumbar laminectomy. The mechanism of erection remains speculative.
Post-traumatic thrombosis of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) is uncommon: only 39 cases were found in the literature. In the present report, eight cases of post-traumatic MCA thrombosis are analyzed and compared with other reported cases. The symptoms can be easily confused with those of expanding intracranial hematoma. Although ancillary noninvasive diagnostic methods are helpful, cerebral angiography confirms the diagnosis. The morbidity and mortality rates are high, and treatment has been mainly supportive. The low mortality in the present study may be related to the absence of severe head or other trauma. Possible cerebral revascularization procedures are also discussed.
Accessory nerve palsy is either idiopathic or secondary to local trauma, infection, or tumor. The discomfort and disability produced as a result of trapezius weakness may be significant. The clinical features and management of accessory nerve palsy have been discussed.
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Selected commercially designated temporary clips (Acland, Biemer, Kleinert-Kutz, Variangle, and Yasargil) were applied for 1 hour to rat common carotid arteries. Scanning electron and light microscopic studies revealed varying degrees of endothelial damage. The authors believe that further improvements are needed in the design of temporary clips.
A mathematical analysis of the minimum occlusion force necessary to occlude small vessels based on the parametric influence of blood pressure, vessel diameter, clamp width, and vessel shape after clamping was performed. The results were confirmed by in vivo experimentation with 60 rat aortas (of 1.8 to 2.4 mm caliber) using a variable-force clamp gauge developed in our laboratory. Experimental and theoretical results differed by only 3 gm. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the initial changes in the endothelium occurred in smaller radii of curvature. Increased pressure resulted in gross morphological changes across the vessel. The minimum occlusion force (as determined by the variable-force clamp gauge) produced only minimal endothelial damage.
Ulnar neuropathy is a well recognized clinical entity caused by a variety of pathological lesions around the elbow. The characteristic features include paresthesia and numbness in the little finger and medial half of the fourth digit, weakness of the small muscles of the hand innervated by the ulnar nerve, and a positive Tinel's sign. The diagnosis is confirmed by electrophysiological studies. Current methods of treatment are anterior transposition, neurolysis and medial epicondylectomy of the humerus. Forty-four patients with ulnar neuropathy are described in the present report. Most were males with a median age of 45. The left side was involved more frequently. Results of subcutaneous anterior transposition and medial epicondylectomy are presented along with a review of the literature.
Does cerebellar retraction during operations in the posterior fossa contribute to increased morbidity and mortality, and if so, what are the critical factors involved? In order to answer these questions, graded retractor pressures of 10, 20, and 30 mm Hg were applied for one hour to the cerebellar hemispheres of dogs in the sitting position. It was noted that the amount of mechanical pressure and the difference between systemic perfusion pressure and retractor pressure were important determinants of the outcome. The mechanism of damage from retractor pressure is discussed.
This study reports an investigation of the canine arachnoid membrane using the scanning electronmicroscope (SEM) regarding the effects of contrast material on these structures. In the normal arachnoid membrane, two basic surface patterns were observed; one fenestrated and the other embossed with parallel fibers. Ventriculography was performed on 30 mongrel dogs divided into five groups: control, air, iophendylate, meglumine iothalamate, and Metrizamide. SEM study of the arachnoid membrane from basal cisterns showed no change after air ventriculography. After contrast agents were used, macrophages appeared and fenestrations became closed with fibrin-like substance.
A 47-year-old guitar player presented with inability to use his right hand because of progressive weakness and numbness. Examination suggested compression neuropathy of the median nerve at the elbow. Exploration of the median nerve revealed compression by a tight aponeurosis of the biceps tendon. Release resulted in prompt recovery of function.
Acute arterial embolism continues to be a major cause of stroke morbidity in children and young adults. Potential therapy modalities include medical management and/or cerebral revascularization. The canine middle cerebral artery (MCA) was embolized by means of a pliable cylinder, 8 mm long by 1.6 mm in diameter, via the internal carotid artery. Control and experimental embolectomies were performed 6 hours following embolization. The experimental animals were treated with either dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or methyl prednisolone. In the control animals, the average area of infarction in the brain was 1.45 cu cm. The animals treated with methyl prednisolone (2 mg/kg) or DMSO (2 gm/kg) showed no infarction of the brain, whereas methyl prednisolone (30 mg/kg) did not prevent infarction.
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The supracondylar process of the humerus has been described by anatomists and anthropologists in man and lower animals. Infrequently this process may cause compression of the median nerve. We are presenting such a case along with a brief review of the literature. Excision of the bone process led to immediate disappearance of symptoms.
Various factors have been considered in the etiology and pathogenesis of glossopharyngeal neuralgia. Vascular compression of the involved cranial nerves has been demonstrated in sporadic cases. In this series of six patients, it was noted with the aid of the operating microscope that the ninth and tenth cranial nerves were compressed by a tortuous vertebral artery or posterior inferior cerebellar artery at the nerve root entry zone in five cases. In selected patients, microvascular decompression without section of the nerves may result in a cure.
Effects of a Fogarty catheter on vascular endothelium have been evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. Significant endothelial changes were noted chiefly at the site of balloon inflation.
A 46-year-old male with bilateral genito-femoral neuralgia is presented. The patient complained of groin and testicular pain, the onset following asynchronous bilateral inguinal herniorrhaphy. Relief was effected by genito-femoral nerve resections. The operative approach is discussed. The differentiation between this syndrome and ilio-inguinal nerve entrapment is tabulated.
Herpes simplex encephalitis in a 21-year-old man presented as a flu-like illness, followed by inappropriate behaviour, drowsiness and focal neurologic signs. Investigations indicated a lesion in the right temporal lobe. The diagnosis was confirmed by isolation of the virus from a cerebral biopsy. Pronounced clinical improvement was noted when cytosine arabinoside therapy was started in the postoperative period. This report supports the observation by some authors that cytosine arabinoside may be of value in the treatment of herpes simplex encephalitis.
An evaluation of dorsal longitudinal myelotomy in the management of spasticity of the lower limbs has been done in 17 patients. The follow-up has varied from 1 month to over 2 years. Most patients achieved satisfactory relief from spasticity. Eight patients have died after the operation in chronic care hospitals. In all except one, the spasticity had been relieved. Eight out of the nine living patients have benefited from myelotomy. Recurrence of spasticity following the first operation occurred in four patients, two of whom improved after a repeat myelotomy. In the presence of fixed contractures of the hip and knee joints, a satisfactory clinical result may not be obtained after the myelotomy.