Study of median palmar cutaneous nerve involvement in a patient with wrist ganglion

Background: few reports represent palmar cutaneous nerve neuropathy in the wrist due to a ganglion cyst

Case Presentation: a 25-year-old female was presented with a mass at volar side of the wrist and hypoesthesia at the base of thenar eminence. At ulrasonographic examination, a simple cyst was detected. Sensory response of palmar cutaneous branch of median nerve was absent at the affected side

Treatment: ultrasound guided drainage of the cyst was performed. At 3 months follow up examination, the patient was symptom-free

Learned Lessons: this case was rare among cases involving pal mar cutaneous branch of median nerve due to the wrist ganglion documented by Nerve Conduction Studies [NCS]

effect of polarized polychromatic noncoherent light [bioptron] therapy on patients with carpal tunnel syndrome

To study the effects of Polarized Polychromatic Noncoherent Light [Bioptron] therapy on patients with carpal tunnel syndrome [CTS]. This study was designed as a randomized clinical trial. Forty four patients with mild or moderate CTS [confirmed by clinical and electrodiagnostic studies] were assigned randomly into two groups [intervention and control goups]. At the beginning of the study, both groups received wrist splinting for 8 weeks. Bioptron light was applied for the intervention group [eight sessions, for 3/weeks]. Bioptron was applied perpendicularly to the wrist from a 10 centimeters distance. Pain severity and electrodiagnostic measurements were compared from before to 8 weeks after initiating each treatment. Eight weeks after starting the treatments, the mean of pain severity based on Visual Analogue Scale [VAS] scores decreased significantly in both groups. Median Sensory Nerve Action Potential [SNAP] latency decreased significantly in both groups. However, other electrophysiological findings [median Compound Motor Action Potential [CMAP] latency and amplitude, also SNAP amplitude] did not change after the therapy in both groups. There was no meaningful difference between two groups regarding the changes in the pain severity. Bioptron with the above mentioned parameters led to therapeutic effects equal to splinting alone in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. However, applying Bioptron with different therapeutic protocols and light parameters other than used in this study, perhaps longer duration of therapy and long term assessment may reveal different results favoring Bioptron therapy

[ effect of neurofeedback therapy accompanying conventional occupational therapy on improving hand function in stroke patients: a pilot study]

Hand dysfunction after stroke is among the most frequent disabilities which adversely affects many aspects of post stroke patients' life. Routinely, patients receive physical therapy and then occupational therapy in the setting of rehabilitation medicine. Neurofeedback therapy is a new modality based on biofeedback therapy principles to train the brain. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of neurofeedback on improving hand function after stroke. This study was designed as a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial. Fourteen post stroke patients entered the study. Hand function was evaluated by Jebson hand function test pre and post intervention. Patients were randomly allocated into two intervention groups of occupational therapy [OT] and occupational therapy + neurofeedback therapy [NF]. All patients received 10 sessions of therapy. Neurofeedback training was performed to enhance sensorimotor rhythm [SMR]. Mean age of patients was 60 +/- 7 years. Hand function was improved significantly in both groups according to general jebson test. Some functional tasks of Jebson test improved more significantly in NF group, compared with OT group. Mean SMR increased significantly, by the end of 10 session neurofeednack therapy. Most of the patients found neurofeedback accompanying OT more enjoyable than OT alone. Drop out was more in OT group compared to NF group. Neurofeedback therapy is suggested as a complementary therapy to conventional OT with additional improvement in some aspects of hand recovery. Furthermore, it can increase patients' compliance to rehabilitation program, and improve their satisfaction from therapy protocol

[Behavioral characteristics in 3-12 month old infants with atopic dermatitis: a case control study]

Atopic dermatitis [AD] is a chronic disorder that is most common in early childhood. Both immunological and psychological factors are important in AD pathogenesis and should therefore be taken into account. The aim of this study was to compare behavioral characteristics of 30 infants [3-12 month-old] with AD with 40 controls. The infants with the definite diagnosis of atopic dermatitis referring to Children Medical Center and Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy were included in the study. The severity of atopic dermatitis was determined by SCORAD criteria. For assessing behavioral characteristics Infant Behavior Questionnarie [IBQ] for measuring 11 scales of behavioral characteristics was used. Questionnaires were filled by the researchers with the cooperation of the parents or the child care givers. The AD group showed significantly higher scores in perceptual sensitivity, soothability and high pleasure, but not other characteristics. Infants with AD tend to have higher perceptual sensitivity to the environment around them and show more pleasure and excitement when subjected to an intense, rapid, novel or incogruit stimuli compared with non atopic infants