Urticaria pigmentosa in a 9‐month‐old male: case report

@#Urticaria pigmentosa (UP) is the most common form of cutaneous mastocytosis in children. It can be diagnosed clinically, based on the appearance of numerous brownish macules and papules that are symmetrically distributed, mostly on the trunk and the extremities. Skin biopsy is helpful in establishing the diagnosis. Treatment options generally include antihistamines and/or topical corticosteroids. In most cases, pediatric UP tends to disappear spontaneously before puberty. We present the case of a 9-month-old male with a history of multiple brownish patches and plaques, which started when he was four months old. He was diagnosed with UP based on clinical and histopathologic findings, and was prescribed oral antihistamines and emollients for symptomatic treatment.

The Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome among Private Dentists in Klang Valley, Malaysia: A Cross-sectional Study

@#Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a progressive entrapment neuropathy that is commonly associated with dentists. If left untreated, permanent nerve and muscle damage may occur. The purpose of this study is to determine prevalence of CTS among private dentists in Klang Valley, Malaysia and to further identify the associated risk factors for CTS symptoms. In-person interviews of 78 subjects obtained using the convenience sampling method were carried out. The Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) and clinical tests of Phalen and Tinel were used to examine signs and functional impact of CTS. The overall prevalence of CTS-related symptoms is 37.2%. Using BCTQ alone, 6.4% showed mild CTS symptoms through the level of functional state scoring (FSS) while 10.3% showed mild to moderate symptoms in the scale of the severity of symptoms (SSS). There is a significant correlation between the age of dentists and CTS symptoms (p = 0.007). The prevalence of CTS was more common in older dentists. Increasing age and working hours per week further enhance the risk of CTS. Findings from this study will serve as a useful baseline to establish further study in Klang Valley. Future work should examine the accounts underlying these risk factors for preventive measures.

Lazarevic-Lasègue sign / Sinal de Lazarevic-Lasègue

ABSTRACT Charles Lasègue is reputed to have described the test/sign bearing his name, but he never wrote about it and misinterpreted its mechanism. The purpose of this note is to highlight the work of the Serbian, Laza Lazarević, who was first to present the original report of this seminal sign in sciatica and provide its appropriate pathophysiological interpretation.

RESUMO Charles Lasègue guarda a reputação de ter descrito o sinal que leva seu nome, mas nunca escreveu sobre isso e interpretava erradamente sua etiopatogenia. O propósito desta nota é chamar atenção para o trabalho do sérvio Laza Lazarević, que apresentou a descrição original do sinal mais importante na ciatalgia e forneceu a interpretação apropriada da sua fisiopatologia.

El costo de ignorar el signo de Carnett: Reporte de caso y revisión de la literatura / The Cost Of Ignoring Carnett’s Sign: A Case Report and Literature Review

El dolor abdominal crónico es un motivo frecuente de consulta externa y de urgencias. Los médicos tradicionalmente consideran que el origen del mismo son las estructuras intraabdominales, incluido el tracto gastrointestinal. Rara vez tienen en cuenta la pared abdominal como la causa de la molestia y someten a los pacientes a numerosos e interminables procedimientos diagnósticos, como laparoscopias y cirugías, entre otros. Por lo menos el 50% de estos pacientes tiene dolor de la pared abdominal por lesión del nervio cutáneo anterior y el diagnóstico se hace identificando el signo de Carnett. Se presenta un caso típico con esta patología, cuyo enfoque inicial ilustra los errores y altos costos en el abordaje de esta patología

Chronic abdominal pain is a frequent cause of outpatient and emergency visits. Doctors traditionally consider that its origin is in intra-abdominal structures, including the gastrointestinal tract. They rarely take into account the abdominal wall as a cause of discomfort and subject patients to numerous and endless diagnostic procedures, including laparoscopy and surgery. At least 50% of these patients have abdominal wall pain due to injuries to the anterior cutaneous vein the diagnosis of which is made by identifying Carnett’s sign. A typical case of this pathology is here. The initial approach illustrates the errors and high costs that can be involved in the approach to this pathology

Hemiplejía con dos signos de Babinski / Hemiplegia with two Babinski´s sign

La evaluación semiológica apropiada es uno de los aspectos más importantes para realizar un adecuado diagnóstico neurológico. Presentamos una paciente colombiana de 60 años de edad, quien padeció un infarto de la arteria cerebral media izquierda, originándole hemiplejía derecha, afasia motora, parálisis facial "central" derecha y atrofia del músculo platisma derecho. Este último hallazgo, originalmente descrito por Joseph Babinski, el cual es el verdadero signo de Babinski, no fue identificado sino hasta dos años y siete meses después de haberse presentado el ictus, aunque había sido evaluada, previamente, por diferentes especialistas en ciencias neurológicas. La no identificación de signos como el mencionado aquí lleva, en ocasiones, a realizar diagnósticos erróneos o incompletos afectando no sólo la localización apropiada de las lesiones sino, también, las eventuales medidas que se deben tomar en la neurorrehabilitación de estos pacientes.

Neurological signs and symptoms are very important to establish a correct neurological diagnosis. We present here a Colombian female patient, 60 yearsold, who had ischaemic stroke in the left cerebral media artery. It produced right hemiplegia, motor aphasia, "central" facial palsy and atrophy of right platysma muscle. This latter finding, described originally by Joseph Babinski as "The Babinski Sign" was observed only two years and seven months after the ictus even when she had, previously, been evaluated by several neurologists. The underdiagnosis of clinical signs like the one described here may lead to erroneous diagnosis that will, ultimately, affect neurorehabilitation measures.

Tratamiento quirúrgico del síndrome del túnel carpal / Surgery treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome

El síndrome del túnel carpal es la más frecuente neuropatía por atrapamiento que se reporta. En nuestro medio su incidencia es elevada y fácilmente se puede detectar que va en aumento. Desde que Phalen en 1966 describió por primera vez el síndrome y sugirió la liberación del retináculo de los flexores como tratamiento, se han descrito varias técnicas quirúrgicas que en mayor o menor grado pueden retardar la reinserción a la actividad diaria de los pacientes. La importante casuística que existe ha permitido desarrollar gran experiencia quirúrgica e implementar un procedimiento de ésta índole para el tratamiento del síndrome. Con ésta técnica los pacientes se reincorporan rápidamente a sus actividades y las secuelas postoperatorias son casi nulas, el tiempo quirúrgico y, por ende, de isquemia de la extremidad es muy corto y no requiere de ningún equipo especial en sala de operaciones, más que el equipo de isquemia. Entre agosto del 2000 y julio del 2002 se intervinieron quirúrgicamente en el Servicio de Cirugía Plástica y Unidad de Quemados del Hospital San Juan de Dios, 118 pacientes con el diagnóstico de síndrome túnel carpal. Todos los diagnósticos fueron comprobados electrofisiológicamente La edad promedio fue de 47 años y la enfermedad predominó en el sexo femenino (11 pacientes). La sintomatología se presentó entre 6 y 60 meses, con un promedio de 12 meses...

The carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common of the peripheral nerve entrapment syndromes encountered by hand surgeons. There is a lot of morbidity related with the operation technic release. We present a "short-incision " operative technique in and effort to decrease the post-operative morbidity of open release. The goal of this study was to evaluate the safety and functional outcomes o minimal incision open carpal tunnel release. We present and introduced two cm carpal tunnel incision technic that does not require the use of special devices. Between August 2000 and July 2002 a total of 118 patients underwent carpal tunnel syndrome release in the Hospital San Juan de Dios. All the patients were evaluated with clinic and electro diagnostic studies, and with a detailed symptoms history. All these 118 underwent a carpal tunnel syndrome release after a well documented treatment with rheumatology that was unsuccessful or failed. Patients were between 27 and 73 years old and history ranged from 6 to 60 months. The median nerve was affected unilaterally in 65% and 53% bilaterally. The most common symptom was paresthesia in 95%, follow by pain (85%), and weakness (85%). The tinel sign was positive in 85% patients; motor deficit and muscle atrophy were also present in 24% of the patients. All patients had varying increases latencies and decreases in conduction velocities across the wrist. Postoperative electro physiologic studies were performed in only 3 patients with residual symptoms and still indicated varying degrees of median nerve compression at the wrist level. All patients were treated on an out-patient basis and operations were performed under local anesthesia.