ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ponticulus posticus (PP) is an abnormal bony bridge on the atlas. It plays a significant role in patients undergoing C1 lateral mass screw procedure. Patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) have higher risk than patients in general population for the appearance of cervical vertebral anomalies. The purpose of the this study was twofold: to determine the prevalence and characteristics of PP in patients with CLP, and to compare the findings with patients in general population using cone beam computed tomography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cone beam computed tomography images from 54 individuals who had undergone surgical repair of cleft lip and/or palate were analysed as the study group. For comparison purposes a control group was randomly selected from 108 patients and matched with the CLP subjects. RESULTS: Although 12 of the 54 (22.3%) patients with surgically repaired cleft lip and/or palate in the study group were identified to have PP, only 10 of the 108 (9.2%) patients in the control group had PP. The distribution of the presence of PP between the groups was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Ponticulus posticus is an important anomaly and the presence of PP is important for patients. PP can have clinical significance in cervical spine surgery as this study has indicated that the likelihood of encountering PP is higher in patients with CLP. We suggest that PP should be taken into account prior to cervical vertebral surgery in patients with CLP. (Folia Morphol 2018; 77, 1: 72-78).
Subject(s)
Cervical Atlas/diagnostic imaging , Cervical Vertebrae/diagnostic imaging , Cleft Lip/diagnostic imaging , Cleft Palate/diagnostic imaging , Cone-Beam Computed Tomography , Adolescent , Adult , Cervical Atlas/surgery , Cervical Vertebrae/surgery , Child , Cleft Lip/epidemiology , Cleft Lip/surgery , Cleft Palate/epidemiology , Cleft Palate/surgery , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
The impact of informal care to both the patients' and carers' physical and psychological well-being is studied in detail. However, despite the social and clinical impact of this role, decision pathways and individual motives in becoming a caregiver have attracted less attention. The study aims to explore individual and collective decision pathways of becoming an informal caregiver, as well as individual motives and contextual factors that contribute to this role during cancer treatment in Turkey. Fourty-nine women and 10 men informal caregivers were recruited from the oncology department of the Marmara Medical School Hospital in Istanbul. Two trained research assistants carried out semi-structured interviews. A qualitative content analysis was conducted. Results indicated that individual decisions, social and family network decisions, role-dependent obligations were the primary paths of decision of becoming an informal caregiver. Three personal motives for caregiving were sense of social responsibility and obligation, personal and emotional connectedness, and sense of competence. The decision to become caregivers are closely connected with individual experiences and social and cultural factors. Understanding the individual and cultural context of findings might contribute to the design of appropriate support programs for informal caregivers in oncology clinics.
