Correction of Camptocormia Using a Cruciform Anterior Spinal Hyperextension Brace and Back Extensor Strengthening Exercise in a Patient With Parkinson Disease

Parkinson disease, one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, is characterized by cardinal motor features including bradykinesia, rigidity, resting tremor, postural instability, freezing gait, and fatigue. Of these, postural instability in the form of hyperflexion of the thoracolumbar spine upon standing and walking that disappears on recumbent positioning is called camptocormia. Many different trials have been conducted on the treatment of camptocormia, including physiotherapy, corsets, medications, and deep brain stimulation. However, there is insufficient evidence as to which treatment modality is the most valid in terms of effectiveness, cost, safety, and patient satisfaction. In this study, we present a patient whose symptom of camptocormia was effectively resolved using a cruciform anterior spinal hyperextension (CASH) brace and back extensor strengthening exercise which was modified through follow-ups based on a short-term outpatient setting for proper application with minimal discomfort. The patient was satisfied with the amount of correction provided by the brace and exercise.

Treatment of Chronic Isolated Finger Flexor Tenosynovitis Through 50% Dehydrated Alcohol Installation

The isolated idiopathic finger flexor tenosynovitis is a rare condition, related to diversed etiologies. The traditional treatment of flexor tenosynovitis includes medications and injection of steroids. If the conservative treatment is not effective, surgical management is usually recommended. And alcohol installations have been rarely performed. We are reporting an extremely rare case of a 56-year-old man who had chronic idiopathic isolated finger flexor tenosynovitis which was treated through alcohol injections. The patient had not yet been treated despite of medication and serial injections of steroid. We performed 1 mL of 50% ethanol injection for the initial treatment and the second injection was done in the same way 10 months later due to the improvements of the patient's clinical symptoms and images of the follow-up ultrasonography. As a result, the authors suggest alcohol installation as an alternative non-surgical treatment for flexor tenosynovitis when other conservative managements are not effective enough.

The Relationship between preoeoperative Biliary drainge and the morbidity and morassositated with pancreaticoduodenectomy / 한국간담췌외과학회지

BACKGROUNDING AND AIM: Recent reports have suggested that preoperative biliary drainage increases the perioperative morbidity and mortality rates of pancreaticoduodenectomy. We reviewed retrospectively 150 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy to examine the relationship between preoperative biliarydrainage and the morbidity and mortality associated with pancreaticoduodenectomy. METHODS: Peri-operative morbidity and mortality were evaluated in 150 consecutive patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy at Pusan National University Hospital for 10 years. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were done to evaluate the relationship between preoperative biliary decompression and the following end points: any complication, any major complication, infectious complications, intraabdominal abscess, pancreaticojejunal anastomotic leak, wound infection, and postoperative death. RESULTS: Preoperative prosthetic biliary drainage was performed in 86 patients (57.3%) (stent group), 17 patients (11.3%) underwent surgical biliary bypass performed during prereferral laparotomy, and the remaining 47 patients(31.3%) (no-stent group) did not undergo any form of preoperative biliary decompression. The overall surgical death rate was 1.3% (two patients); the number of deaths was too small for multivariate analysis. By multivariate logistic regression, no differences were found between the stent and no-stent groups in the incidence of all complications, major complications, infectious complications, intraabdominal abscess, or pancreaticojejunal anastomotic leak. Wound infections were more common in the stent group than the no-stent group. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative biliary decompression increases the risk for postoperative wound infections after pancreaticoduodenectomy. However, there was no increase in the risk of major postoperative complications or death associated with preoperative stent placement. Patients with extrahepatic biliary obstruction do not necessarily require immediate laparotomy to undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates; such patients can be treated by endoscopic biliary drainage without concern for increased major complications and death associated with subsequent pancreaticoduodenectomy.