Right Hydronephrosis Caused by Congenital Circumcaval Ureter in a Spinal Cord Injured Patient: A case report

Circumcaval ureter is one of the congenital anomaly in which aberrant development of the inferior vena cava (IVC) causes compression of the deviated ureter medially behind the IVC. The incidence is approximately one in 1500 cadavers and is three to four times more common in male. Although the lesion is congenital, symptoms attributable to this anomaly usually appear in young adulthood. This is a case of 17-year-old spinal cord injured man with a circumcaval ureter who was diagnosed as right hydronephrosis by routine evaluation for neurogenic bladder, incidentally. Suprapubic cystostomy was done for prevention of further urologic complication and the severity of hydronephrosis was not aggravated in follow up studies after 6 months. We suggest early routine evaluation for neurogenic bladder is very important for prevention of developing urologic complication caused by congenital urologic anomaly in the patients with spinal cord injury.

Estimation of Motor Unit Number According to Severity of Peripheral Nerve Injury in Rat

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the changes of motor unit number estimation (MUNE) and the amplitude of compound muscle action potential (CMAP) according to severity of nerve injury in rat. METHOD: The sciatic nerve was compressed with two different severity (mild, severe) in 20 rats each. MUNE was performed in gastrocnemius of rat using the Poisson statistics. MUNE and amplitude of CMAP were compared according to severity of injury at two and four weeks after injury. RESULTS: The MUNE and amplitude of CMAP were significantly diminished at two and four weeks after nerve injury in severely injured rat. Both values were also diminished at two weeks after injury in mildly injured rat. The amplitude of CMAP was slightly increased at four weeks after mild injury despite of further decrement of MUNE. CONCLUSION: The MUNE and amplitude of CMAP changed differently according to severity of nerve injury in rat, which might represent different denervation and reinnervation process.

A Diagnostic Significance of Simple X-ray Examination for Children's Flatfoot in Footprint

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the difference for each variable on plain radiologic study of the foot between weighted and non-weighted routine plain anterior-posterior and lateral views in flatfoot children diagnosed by Harris mat footprint. METHOD: Both feet of thirty-four children over two-year old, who had been diagnosed as flatfooted by modified Rose' classification using Harris mat footprint were included. We studied plain roentgenogram images, including anterior-posterior and lateral views, in both standing (weighted) and sitting (non weighted) position of the feet of the patients. We measured the following variables; arch height (AH), calcaneal pitch (CP), talocalcaneal angles from lateral view (TCALA) and anterior-posterior view (TCAAP), talo-first metatarsal angles from the lateral (TFML) and anterior-posterior view (TFMA). RESULTS: Each variable revealed no significant difference between boys and girls (p>0.05); neither was there any significant difference noted in each parameter between the right and left feet (p>0.05). All the variables of plain foot roentgenogram on weighted state were significantly different from the data of non-weighted state, except TCAAP (p<0.05). CP was the only parameter which showed significant difference according to severity of flatfoot by modified Rose'classification. CONCLUSION: Because most of the flatfoot in childhood is hypermobile type, it is necessary to take plain radiologic studies of the feet both in weighted and non weighted state and to compare both data of each variable. In addition, it is prefer to use plain radiologic study of foot both in weighted and non weighted state with footprint as the screening method of pediatric flatfoot lesions.

Hand Rehabilitation with New Device of Wrist Driven Prehension Prosthesis in Partial Hand Amputation

Partial hand amputation may leave a significant functional limitations for amputee that are difficult to ameliorate by either orthoses or prostheses. Many kinds of devices have been tried to promote the function and cosmesis. Cosmetic hand was the best answer to the person with first and second metacarpophalangeal joint disarticulation and the strength and range of motion of remaining three fingers were not in optimal status till now. We applied a new device of wrist driven prehension prosthesis consist of forearm stabilizer, short opponens, actuator rod, artificial thumb, artificial index and attached 2 rings was designed and fabricated. As a result, it is possible to provide considerable improvement in function and cosmesis with this new device.