Femoral cartilage thickness measurements in healthy individuals: learning, practicing and publishing with TURK-MUSCULUS.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Measurement of the femoral cartilage thickness by using in-vivo musculoskeletal ultrasonography (MSUS) has been previously shown to be a valid and reliable method in previous studies; however, to our best notice, normative data has not been provided before in the healthy population.The aim of our study was to provide normative data regarding femoral cartilage thicknesses of healthy individuals with collaborative use of MSUS. METHODS: This is across-sectional study run at Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Departments of 18 Secondary and Tertiary Centers in Turkey. 1544 healthy volunteers (aged between 25-40 years) were recruited within the collaboration of TURK-MUSCULUS (Turkish Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography Study Group). Subjects who had a body mass index value of less than 30 and who did not have signs and symptoms of any degenerative/inflammatory arthritis or other rheumatic diseases, history of knee trauma and previous knee surgery were enrolled. Ultrasonographic measurements were performed axially from the suprapatellar window by using linear probes while subjects' knees were in maximum flexion. Three (mid-point) measurements were taken from both knees (lateral condyle, intercondylar area, medial condyle). RESULTS: A total of 2876 knees (of 817 M, 621 F subjects) were taken into analysis after exclusion of inappropriate images. Mean cartilage thicknesses were significantly lower in females than males (all p< 0.001). Thickness values negatively correlated with age; negatively (females) and positively (males) correlated with smoking. Men who regularly exercised had thicker cartilage than who did not exercise (all p < 0.05). Increased age (in both sexes) and absence of exercise (males) were found to be risk factors for decreased cartilage thicknesses. CONCLUSION: Further data pertaining to other countries would be interesting to uncover whether ethnic differences also affect cartilage thickness. Collaborative use of MSUS seems to be promising in this regard.

Effects of steroid with repetitive procaine HCl injection in the management of carpal tunnel syndrome: an ultrasonographic study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: With the use of musculoskeletal ultrasonography (MSUS), morphological changes in the median nerve have been recently reported in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). On the other hand, the literature still lacks the information whether those changes are further altered with steroid and local anesthetic injection which is a widely used treatment in this group of patients. Therefore, the aim of our study was to explore in-vivo the effects of steroid with repetitive procaine HCl injection on the median nerve of patients with CTS. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This prospective clinical trial followed-up patients for 2 months. 22 patients (37 median nerves) with clinical and electrophysiological evidence of CTS were included in the study. All patients received both 40 mg of triamcinolone acetonide once and 4 ml of 1% procaine HCl twice a week for 2 weeks with the same technique. Clinical, functional, electrophysiological and ultrasonographic evaluations were performed at the study onset, and 2 months after the last injection. RESULTS: Electrophysiological, ultrasonographic findings (median nerve anterior-posterior diameter, transverse diameter and cross sectional area in the proximal carpal tunnel and volar bulging,) VAS scores, Boston carpal tunnel symptom and function assessment scale improved significantly (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Steroid injection with repetitive procaine HCl injection effectively reduced the symptoms of CTS, improved the Boston carpal tunnel symptom and function assessment scale and also electrophysiological and ultrasonographic findings. Long term effects remain to be studied. Indisputably, the use of MSUS seems to be promising in this regard.

Neoplastic brachial plexopathy detected by ultrasonography in a patient with chronic cervicobrachialgia.

OBJECTIVE: We report here a case of neoplastic brachial plexopathy detected by musculoskeletal ultrasonography in a patient with chronic cervicobrachialgia. METHODS/RESULTS: A 71-year-old man presented at Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Turkish Armed Forces Rehabilitation Center, Ankara, Turkey with a one-year history of cervicobrachial pain radiating to the left arm and numbness in the medial aspect of the left arm and hand. He could not tolerate magnetic resonance imaging because his pain was exacerbated by cervical extension. Radiographs of his chest and cervical spine were normal. Ultrasound examination of the left brachial plexus revealed segmental fusiform swelling, suggestive for a compressing lesion. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brachial plexus performed under general anaesthesia revealed a left apical lung tumour (Pancoast) infiltrating the brachial plexus. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should consider neoplastic brachial plexopathy, which is an uncommon diagnosis, when evaluating patients with unrelenting and severe cervicobrachialgia. Musculoskeletal ultrasonography can be beneficial for examining brachial plexus lesions.

Severe heterotopic ossification in the non-affected limbs of a hemiplegic patient with traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Heterotopic ossification characterized by new bone formation in the periarticular regions of large joints in patients with neurologic injury most commonly occurs on the neurologically involved side. This study presents a very rare localization of heterotopic ossification that developed in the non-paretic limbs of a hemiplegic patient with traumatic brain injury (TBI). CASE REPORT: A 25-year-old left hemiplegic male with TBI due to a gunshot wound was admitted to the rehabilitation centre after a 2.5-month period of coma in the intensive care unit. He had limited range of motion accompanied by pain in the bilateral hip, bilateral elbow and right knee joints. Neurological examination revealed upper motor neuron lesions only on the left side in neurological exam. Plain radiographs of the involved joints revealed bilateral heterotopic ossification, which was more severe on the non-paretic side. DISCUSSION: Clinicians should keep in mind that heterotopic ossification can occur in non-hemiplegic extremities as well as hemiplegic extremities in patients with TBI in whom the extent of neurologic damage cannot be definitely established.

Autonomic dysreflexia as a complication of a fecal management system in a man with tetraplegia.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: To present a case of autonomic dysreflexia caused by the use of a fecal management system in a patient with tetraplegia. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Military rehabilitation center. RESULTS: A man with tetraplegia had a fecal management system inserted to divert stool away from his sacral pressure ulcer to reduce contamination and infection risk. Two days later, he developed severe autonomic dysreflexia that improved after removal of the system. CONCLUSIONS: Autonomic dysreflexia, a life-threatening complication, has not been reported before as a side effect of a fecal management system. These systems should be used with caution in patients with high-level spinal cord injury.