Evaluación ultrasonográfica del tendón de Aquiles en niños con pie equino varo aducto congénito posterior a tenotomía de Aquiles con el método de Ponseti. Seguimiento a 12 semanas / Sonographic evaluation of Achilles tendon healing in tenotomies for congenital clubfoot and Ponseti's treatment. A 12-week follow-up

Resumen: Objetivo: Determinar el tiempo de curación del tendón de Aquiles en pacientes pediátricos tratados mediante tenotomía de Aquiles con método Ponseti en el Hospital Shriners para Niños de México, AC. Material y métodos: Estudio experimental, analítico, prospectivo, longitudinal de pacientes con diagnóstico de pie equino varo aducto congénito idiopático en tratamiento con método Ponseti con evaluación estática y dinámica mediante ecógrafo en tiempo real Siemens Diagnostic Ultrasound System Sonoline 650 con transductor lineal de 10.5 mHz seriada del tendón de Aquiles previa a la tenotomía y a las tres, seis, nueve y 12 semanas tras el tratamiento quirúrgico. Resultados: Se obtuvo una muestra de 23 pacientes, 16 masculinos y siete femeninos, 16 con patología bilateral y siete unilateral, para un total de 39 pies, 18 derechos y 21 izquierdos, con una media de edad de 8.3 ± 2.3 meses. Previamente a la tenotomía, la anchura en corte longitudinal ultrasonográfico media fue de 2.7 ± 0.42 mm; en la semana tres, la media fue 3 ± 0.39 mm; a las seis semanas, 2.92 ± 0.36 mm; el ultrasonido de las nueve semanas reportó media de 2.84 ± 0.38 mm y a las 12 semanas, 2.82 ± 0.39 mm. Se compararon mediante t de Student el ancho prequirúrgico y a las 12 semanas, sin encontrarse diferencia p > 0.03. Conclusiones: La valoración ecográfica muestra integridad a las tres semanas posteriores a la tenotomía de Aquiles. Sin embargo, la reparación completa se logra a las 12 semanas.

Abstract: Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the healing time of Achilles tendon in pediatric patients treated with Achilles tenotomy with the Ponseti method in Shriners Children's Hospital of Mexico, AC. Material and methods: Experimental, analytical, prospective, longitudinal study of patients with a diagnosis of idiopathic congenital clubfoot treated with the Ponseti method with serial static and dynamic evaluation by ultrasound in real time with a Siemens Diagnostic Ultrasound System Sonoline 650, linear transducer 10.5 MHz of Achilles tendon before tenotomy and at three, six, nine and 12 weeks after the surgical treatment. Results: A sample of 23 patients, 16 male and seven female, 16 with unilateral and seven with bilateral pathology was obtained, for a total of 39 feet, 18 right and 21 left, with a mean age of 8.3 ± 2.3 months. Before tenotomy, the width was 2.7 ± 0.42 mm; in week three, the average was 3 ± 0.39 mm; at six weeks, 2.92 ± 0.36 mm; ultrasound at nine weeks reported an average of 0.38 ± 2.84 mm, and 2.82 ± 0.39 mm at twelve weeks. They were compared using Student's t presurgical width and at twelve weeks, without finding difference p > 0.03. Conclusions: Although there is integrity at three weeks after Achilles tenotomy, complete repair is achieved at 12 weeks.

Elevated alanine aminotransferase activity is not associated with dyslipidemias, but related to insulin resistance and higher disease grades in non-diabetic non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore demographic and metabolic factors associated with increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity in non-diabetic non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Overall 372 patients who consecutively attended to Gastroenterology Clinic of Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran awere diagnosed as NAFLD entered into analysis. Exclusion criteria were having diabetes mellitus and fasting blood glucose over 126 mg/dL, active hepatitis B virus infection, having hepatitis C virus positive serology, and to be under corticosteroid therapy. ALT levels were considered pathologically high when it was over 30 IU/L for men and over 19 IU/L for women.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Bivariate analyses using t test and chi-square test showed that patients with pathologically augmented ALT levels had significantly higher NAFLD grades in their ultrasonographic evaluations (P=0.003). Moreover, these patients represented significantly higher homeostatic model assessment levels (P=0.003), levels of serum insulin (P=0.002), fasting blood glucose (P<0.001), and uric acid (P=0.02). The prevalence of insulin resistance was also higher in patients with increased serum ALT concentrations. Multifactorial logistic regression models showed that ultrasonographic grading of NAFLD (P=0.027) and insulin resistance (P=0.013) were the only variables significantly associated with abnormal ALT levels.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>This study shows that the associations of increased ALT serum levels in NAFLD patients are different from what are supposed before. By excluding diabetic patients from our population, we find that increased ALT levels are not associated with dyslipidemias but are independently associated with insulin resistance and NAFLD grading on ultrasonographic evaluations. Further studies are needed to confirm our results.</p>