Tarsal tunnel syndrome: a still challenge condition / Síndrome do túnel do tarso: uma condição ainda desafiadora

Tarsal tunnel syndrome is a rare, under diagnosed and often confused neuropathy with other clinical entities. There is a lack of population studies on this disease. Herein, we performed a non-systematic review of articles between January 1992 and February 2018. Although with a less complex anatomy comparing to the carpal tunnel, the tarsal tunnel is source of pain and some other conditions. Treatment involves conservative measures such as analgesics and physical therapy rehabilitation or surgical procedures in case of conservative treatment failure. Randomized control studies are lack and mandatory for uncover the best modality of treatment for this condition.

A Síndrome do túnel do tarso é uma rara e subdiagnosticada neuropatia geralmente confundida com outras entidades clínicas. Há falta de estudos populacionais sobre a doença. Assim sendo, realizamos uma revisão da literatura de artigos entre Janeiro de 1992 e fevereiro de 2018. Apesar de possuir uma anatomia de menor complexidade comparada ao túnel do carpo, o túnel do tarso é origem de dor e algumas outras condições. O tratamento envolve medidas conservadoras como analgésicos e terapia de reabilitação ou procedimentos cirúrgicos, em caso de falha do tratamento conservador. Estudos randomizados são escassos e necessários para descoberta da melhor modalidade de tratamento desta condição.

Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation versus electrical stimulation with pelvic floor muscle training for overactive bladder syndrome in women: results of a randomized controlled study

ABSTRACT Introduction This study compared percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) versus electrical stimulation with pelvic floor muscle training (ES + PFMT) in women with overactive bladder syndrome (OAB). Materials and Methods 60 women with OAB were enrolled. Patients were randomized into two groups. In group A, women underwent ES with PFMT, in group B women underwent PTNS. Results A statistically significant reduction in the number of daily micturitions, episodes of nocturia and urge incontinence was found in the two groups but the difference was more substantial in women treated with PTNS; voided volume increased in both groups. Quality of life improved in both groups, whereas patient perception of urgency improved only in women treated with PTNS. Global impression of improvement revealed a greater satisfaction in patients treated with PTNS. Conclusion This study demonstrates the effectiveness of PTNS and ES with PFMT in women with OAB, but greater improvements were found with PTNS.

Electrical Stimulation for Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Systematic Review

Background Electrical stimulation is commonly recommended to treat urinary incontinence in women. It includes several techniques that can be used to improve stress, urge, and mixed symptoms. However, the magnitude of the alleged benefits is not completely established. Objectives To determine the effects of electrical stimulation in women with symptoms or urodynamic diagnoses of stress, urge, and mixed incontinence. Search Strategy: Our review included articles published between January 1980 and January 2012. We used the search terms “urinary incontinence”, “electrical stimulation”, “intravaginal”, “tibial nerve” and “neuromodulation” for studies including female patients. Selection Criteria We evaluated randomized trials that included electrical stimulation in at least one arm of the trial, to treat women with urinary incontinence. Data Collection and Analysis Two reviewers independently assessed the data from the trials, for inclusion or exclusion, and methodological analysis. Main Results A total of 30 randomized clinical trials were included. Most of the trials involved intravaginal electrical stimulation. Intravaginal electrical stimulation showed effectiveness in treating urge urinary incontinence, but reported contradictory data regarding stress and mixed incontinence. Tibial-nerve stimulation showed promising results in randomized trials with a short follow-up period. Sacral-nerve stimulation yielded interesting results in refractory patients. Conclusions Tibial-nerve and intravaginal stimulation have shown effectiveness in treating urge urinary incontinence. Sacral-nerve stimulation provided benefits in refractory cases. Presently available data provide no support for the use of intravaginal electrical stimulation to treat stress urinary incontinence in ...

Estudo comparativo entre enxerto autógeno e enxerto muscular coberto com tubo de veia autógeno em nervos tibiais de ratos wistar, utilizando o fluoro-gold® como marcador neuronal / Comparative study between autogenous graft and muscular graft covered with autogenous vein tube in wistar rats' tibial nerves using the fluoro-gold® as a neuronal marker

Este trabalho teve como objetivo o estudo da regeneração nervosa através da contagem de neurônios comparando duas técnicas cirúrgicas no tratamento da perda de substância nervosa nos membros inferiores em 15 ratos. Inicialmente obteve-se tubo de veia de 12mm de comprimento retirado da jugular externa esquerda. A seguir, opera-se os dois membros inferiores, expondo o nervo tibial de cada lado e ressecando um segmento de 8 mm do nervo, simulando, ao mesmo tempo, a perda de substância e a obtenção do enxerto nervoso autógeno. A reparação da perda de substância do lado esquerdo consistiu numa enxertia convencional simples para a reparação de lesão nervosa por meio de sutura microcirúrgica. A do membro inferior direito foi pela tubulização com 8 mm de enxerto de músculo quadríceps denaturado com nitrogênio líquido coberto com veia jugular. Após quatro meses, os animais foram submetidos à nova cirurgia para exposição dos nervos tibiais ao marcador neuronal Fluoro Gold®. Após 48 horas, foram perfundidos e o segmento medular entre L3 e S1 foi removido e posteriormente cortado em secções de 40 æm. Houve contagem neuronal de todos os cortes e não foram verificadas diferenças estatísticas entre as duas técnicas cirúrgicas.

The purpose of this work was to study nervous regeneration through neurons counts by comparing two surgical techniques for addressing nervous gaps on 15 rats' lower limbs. Initially, a 12-mm long vein tube from the left outer jugular was obtained, and then both lower limbs are operated, exposing the tibial nerve at each side and performing a resection of an 8-mm nerve segment, at the same time simulating a gap and an autogenous nerve graft. Left gap repair consisted of a usual conventional graft for nervous injury repair by means of microsurgical suture. The gap repair on right lower limbs was made through quadriceps muscle, treated with liquid nitrogen, covered with an 8-mm tube of jugular vein. After four months, the animals were submitted to a new surgery for exposing tibial nerves to the Fluoro-Gold® neuronal marker. After 48 hours, the rats were perfused and medullar segment between L3 and S1 was removed and subsequently cut into 40æm sections. Neurons on all sections were counted, and no statistical differences were found between both surgical techniques.

Estudo comparativo da ação do fator de crescimento de fibroblastos e fragmentos de nervo na regeneração de nervo tibial em ratos / Fibroblasts growth factor and nerve fragments effect on tibial nerve regeneration in rats: a comparative study

OBJETIVO: Comparar quantitativamente, a estimulação da regeneração do nervo tibial de ratos pelo Fator de Crescimento de Fibroblastos e por fragmentos de nervo dentro tubos de silicone. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados 18 ratos da raça Wistar. A cirurgia consistiu inicialmente na ressecção de um segmento de 8 mm do nervo tibial, seguida da interposição com tubos de silicone. No lado direito, o tubo foi preenchido com solução de Fator de Crescimento de Fibroblastos (FGF) e, no lado esquerdo, com segmentos do nervo cortados em fragmentos de 1 mm. Após três meses, os animais foram submetidos a nova cirurgia para exposição dos nervos tibiais ao marcador neuronal Fluro-Gold®. Quarenta e oito horas após a exposição ao corante, os ratos foram perfundidos com solução de paraformaldeído e o segmento medular entre L3 e S1 foi removido e cortado em fatias de 40 micrômetros de espessura. RESULTADOS E CONCLUSÃO: os resultados da contagem neuronal mostraram maior quantidade de neurônios no lado onde foi colocado FGF em relação ao lado onde foram colocados fragmentos nervosos, demonstrando que o fator de crescimento de fibroblastos é superior a fragmentos de nervos na estimulação da regeneração nervosa quando colocados no tubo de silicone.

OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively compare rats' tibial nerve regeneration stimulation by Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) and nerve fragments using silicone tubes. METHODS: 18 Wistar rats were employed in this experiment. The experimental surgery consisted of resection of an 8-mm tibial nerve segment, followed by an interposition of silicone tubes. On the right side, the tube was filled with a Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) solution, and on the left side, it was filled with 1 mm nerve segments. After three months, the animals were submitted to an additional surgery for exposing tibial nerves to the neuronal marker Fluoro-Gold®. After 48 hours, they were perfused with a paraformaldehyde solution and the medullar segment between L3 and S1 was removed and cut into 40 mum-thick segments. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The results of neuronal counts showed a higher amount of neurons on the side where FGF was used compared to the side where nervous fragments were placed, suggesting a superior performance of the fibroblast growth factor over nerve fragments for stimulating nervous regeneration in silicone tubes.

Liberação do túnel do tarso pela técnica endoscópica: uma proposta de acesso cirúrgico / Endoscopic release of the tarsal tunnel: a suggested surgical approach

Estabelecer em cadáveres, dois portais, através da delimitação de pontos anatômicos e linhas geométricas, que permitam o acesso ao Túnel do Tarso pela técnica videoendoscópica e comparar a abordagem no sentido proximal para distal com a reversa. Fizeram parte do estudo 18 cadáveres, com um total de 36 tornozelos. Partindo da técnica endoscópica bi-portal inicialmente descrita, e modificada neste estudo através da padronização de pontos anatômicos e linhas geométricas, o Túnel do Tarso foi liberado nos tornozelos esquerdos com a inserção do instrumental no sentido proximal para distal e o inverso nos direitos.Nos tornozelos direitos, houve secção completa do retináculo flexor em 15 casos (83,3 por cento) e parcial em 3 casos (16,67 por cento). Nos esquerdos, a secção foi completa em 16 casos (88,89 por cento) e parcial em 2 casos (11,11 por cento). O tempo operatório no lado direito foi em média 19,44 minutos e no esquerdo 18,33 minutos. Em nenhum caso foi observada lesão de estruturas neurovasculares. Com a técnica proposta a secção total do retináculo dos flexores foi obtida em todos os casos após a curva do aprendizado, sem lesão de estruturas anatômicas do túnel do Tarso, independente do sentido utilizado na via de acesso.

The Effect of Selective Tibial Neurotomy and Rehabilitation in a Quadriplegic Patient with Ankle Spasticity Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Ankle spasticity following brain injury leads to abnormal posture and joint contracture; making standing or walking impossible. This study investigates the efficacy of selective tibial neurotomy (STN) and intensive rehabilitation in a patient who suffered ankle spasticity after brain injury. This case describes a 37-year-old man whose traumatic brain injury (TBI) resulted in severe right ankle spasticity and contracture. He was unable to stand due to severe right ankle spasticity and contracture. Intensive rehabilitation and STN allowed him to walk without brace at 6 months and run at 12 months after STN. STN is an effective procedure to resolve localized spasticity of the ankle and it may be considered as a management strategy after local injection to alleviate ankle spasticity and/or contracture prior to orthopaedic surgery.

Electrophysiological findings in newly diagnosed non-insulin-dependent diabetics: a prospective study

This study reports the electrophysiological findings in patients with newly diagnosed non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM] studied in the Neurodiagnostic Laboratory of the King Fahd Hospital of the University [KFHU], Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Twenty-nine patients [22 males, 7 females, mean ages 47 and 37 years, respectively] were studied within four weeks of establishing the diagnosis. They were all given nerve conduction studies by the same examiner. Comparison was made with data from a group of 64 normal control subjects. In the study patients, the mean distal sensory peak latency in milliseconds [ms] +/- standard deviation [SD] was 3.5 +/- 0.41 ms in 35 median nerves, 3.2 +/- 0.72 ms in 35 ulnar nerves, 1.9 +/- 0.34 ms in 23 superficial radial nerves and 3.5 +/- 0.61 in 36 sural nerves. The mean distal motor latency +/- SD was 4.6 +/- 0.95 ms in 39 median nerves, 3.5 +/- 0.58 ms in 38 ulnar nerves, 4.8 +/- 1.02 ms in 44 tibial nerves and 6.0 +/- 1.08 ms in 36 peroneal nerves. The electromyogram examination was performed on 24 patients and showed evidence of denervation and/or chronic reinnervation in seven [29%]. The frequency of abnormalities in the studied peripheral nerves was 60% for median, 63% ulnar, 33% peroneal, 16% tibial and 8% sural

Guillain Barre syndrome-electrodiagnostic features and therapeutic observations.

Thirty seven patients with Guillain Barre syndrome were studied. The most common electrophysiologic abnormalities were delayed or absent Median nerve F wave (93.3%), increase in posterior tibial nerve distal latency (91.9%) and delayed or absent posterior tibial nerve F waves (83.9%). Slowing of nerve conduction was associated with the F wave abnormality and distal latency prolongation in most cases. There was no definite relationship between the results of electrophysiological studies and the clinical grade. 15 patients were treated with steroids, 10 with plasmapheresis, 8 with both steroids and plasmapheresis and 3 with immunoglobulins. There was a greater degree of improvement in patients treated with plasmapheresis.

Entrapment neuropathies.

Relative frequency of entrapment neuropathies was studied from amongst the patients referred to an electrodiagnostic medicine laboratory for electrophysiological studies. During the study period electrophysiological procedures were done on 650 patients with various peripheral nerve disorders. The entrapment neuropathies constituted 8.5%. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) was the commonest entrapment neuropathy (83.6%). Diagnosis of CTS was established in 84 Patients referred with the diagnosis of CTS. Electrophysiological tests confirmed the diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome in 4 (15.4%) of the 26 patients referred with this diagnosis and in 5 (19.3%) of them the diagnosis turned out to be CTS. Diagnosis of cubital tunnel syndrome was not suspected clinically in all the 3 patients, they were referred with the diagnosis of ulnar neuropathy. In both the patients with tarsal tunnel syndrome the initial diagnosis was peripheral neuropathy.

Utilidad de los potenciales evocados somato-sensoriales en el diagnóstico del nivel de lesión medular, en pacientes con trauma raqui-medular / The use of somato-sensorial evoked potentials for diagnosis of the level of spinal cord injuries in patients with spine trauma

Se llevó a cabo un estudio comparativo entre dos grupos de 30 individuos cada uno; el primero se integró con pacientes con trauma raqui-medular, 17 con sección completa y 13 incompleta, y el segundo sirvió como grupo controlo, formado por sujetos sanos voluntarios, con el objeto de determinar la utilidad de los potenciales evocados somato-sensoriales (PES). En el caso de los pacientes con trauma raqui-medular, el nervio radial fue el más útil para el diagnóstico cuando el último segmento intacto fue C5. Para el caso de C6, el nervio radial fue útil en el 100 por ciento de los casos y el mediano sólo en el 86 por ciento. En el caso del uso de nervios de las extremidades inferiores, el nervio safeno fue sólo parcialmente útil, ya que registró únicamente un retardo en su latencia en uno de seis pacientes que tenían sección incompleta en el segmento lumbar. No fue útil para evaluar los segmentos cervical y torácico puesto que sus registros fueron negativos en dos pacientes que tenían sección incompleta en el segmento cervical y uno en el torácico. Los PES fueron normales en todos los nervios de los 30 individuos del grupo control.

Estudio normativo del reflejo H y su utilidad diagnostica en el sindrome compresivo radicular de S1 / Normative study of the H reflex and its diagnostic utility in S1 radicular compression syndrome

El reflejo H es un reflejo monosinaptico evocado por la estimulación elétrica de fibras aferentes de gran calibre pertenecientes a un nervio mixto que hacen sinapsis con motoneuronas alfa a nivel medular. Existen numerosas publicaciones (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9) que sugieren la aplicación clínica mediante registro en músculo gastrocnemio después de la estimulación del nervio tibial en la fosa poplitea (5) ha sido descrito como útil en la lesión a nivel de raiz Sl. Uno de los propósitos de nuestro trabajo consistió en comprobar la utilidad de esta técnica de conducción nerviosa en pacientes del Hospital Ortopédico "Frank Pais" con diagnóstico clínico de Síndrome de Compresión Radicular (SCR) a nível de Sl. De manera similar quisimos conocer si es posíble diferenciar a pacientes con críterio clínico de SCR Sl de aquellos con posíble compresión de L5, ya que ambos son raices vecinas con gran incidencia de afectación en la práctica médica

Registro eletromiográfico do fenômeno de Strümpell aplicado ao diagnóstico da síndrome piramidal / Electromyographic recording of the Strümpell phenomenon applied to pyramidal syndrome diagnosis

Depois de observar há vários anos que o registro eletromiográfico (EMG) do fenômeno de Strümpell (FS) é útil para diagnosticar síndromes piramidais, a partir de março-1987, o autor passou a pesquisar o FS sistematicamente durante a EMG dos músculos tibiais anteriores. Realiza esse registro com eletrodo concêntrico de agulha e calibraçäo de 0,05 a 0,2mV e 1s por divisäo. Ao paciente, em decúbito dorsal, é solicitado realizar extensäo vagarosa e completa da coxa. O FS positivo caracteriza-se por EMG de contraçäo tônica involuntária, de amplitude crescente, do músculo tibial anterior, simultaneamente à extensäo da coxa. Com finalidade de sistematizar a EMG dessa sincinesia e de avaliar sua utilidade no diagnóstico da síndrome piramidal, o autor revisou os 579 relatórios de EMG realizados a partir de março-1987. Foram encontrados 26 (4,49%) relatórios de pacientes com FS positivo, que serviu para estabelecer ou confirmar que esses pacientes apresentavam síndrome piramidais. Em 20 pessoas de idade parecida e sem sinais de liberaçäo piramidal, a pesquisa do FS se acompanhava de silência eletromiográfico (90%) ou de algumas contraçöes clônicas (10%) do tibial anterior. O autor recomenda a inclusäo da pesquisa de FS no exame EMG convencional dos tibiais anteriores, especialmente em casos de esclerose lateral amiotrófica e frente a síndrome mielorradiculares ou medulares

Fisiopatologia da neurite hanseniana / Physiopathology of the neuropathy in leprosy

A hanseniase é uma enfermedade com potencial de incapacidades físicas das mais notáveis. O comprometimento do sistema nervoso é constante e aproximadamente 30% dos doentes sofrem lesöes neurológicas graves. As manifestaçöes dermatológicas e os estudos bacteriológicos encontram-se bem estabelecidos. No entanto, o conhecimento das lesöes nervosas näo atingiu o mesmo desenvolvimento, fazendo com que a terapêutica do comprometimento, neurológico esteja longe de ser satisfatória e as medidas preventivas dificilmente colocadas em prática. Este trabalho tem por finalidade contribuir para o esclarecimento de alguns aspectos de comprometimento dos nervos periféricos nesta doença

Restoration of plantar sweat secretion in the feet of leprosy patients.

As part of the studies on nerve damage and its consequences in leprosy, the status of sweat gland function in the anaesthetic sole of the feet of leprosy patients was investigated qualitatively and semi-quantitatively, before and after surgical decompression of the posterior tibial neurovascular bundle. Sweat prints of the feet of the patients were obtained pre-operatively and postoperatively on Whatman's No. 1 filter paper. The paper was treated with one percent Ninhydrin and the intensities of the Ninhydrin positive areas were quantitated. Forty one feet of thirty six patients have been studied in this manner. Sweat print analysis of twenty normal people have also been done, and included for comparison. This operative procedure has been found to effect an improvement in the sweat gland function in the feet of more than fifty percent of leprosy patients studied so far.