Incidence of spinal cord injuries in Plovdiv and Plovdiv region, Bulgaria.

This retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the incidence of spinal cord injuries in Plovdiv and Plovdiv region, Bulgaria. The study material comprised 980 patients treated over a period of 10 years (1983-1992) in the Clinics of Traumatic and Orthopaedic Surgery and Neurosurgery, University of Medicine, Plovdiv, which are the only therapeutic establishment in this region with a population of 750,000 to admit and treat this type of injury. Conservative treatment was applied in 34.46% of the patients using various methods: the method of Gorinevska-Dreving, immobilisation in either a plaster jacket or minerva depending on the injury site, the reclination methods of Davis-Erie or Watson-Jones, cranial extension by Crutchfield. Operative treatment also was used and included posterior stabilisation with or without bone plastics, anterior vertebrodesis in the cervical and thoracolumbar regions from a transpleural and retroperitoneal approaches and anterior vertebrodesis with a partial or complete replacement of the vertebral body.

Therapeutic effect of the laser system Prometeus in the treatment of vertebrogenic lumboradiculalgia.

The authors report their experience in the application of laser therapy using 904 nm laser irradiation and impulse power of 10 W on patients with vertebrogenic lumboradiculalgia (osteochondrosis and herniation of the intervertebral disk). The therapeutic effect of the PROMETEUS type laser system is compared to that of similar equipment reported in literature. Pain was usually relieved between days five and 10 of laser therapy, or, in cases of slower convalescence, by day 15. Clinical symptoms of the disorders also disappeared simultaneously with the alleviation of pain. Our results are similar to those obtained by A.S. Krjuk (1986) and S. Gatev (1985), better than those of Van Lyancin (1988) and worse than those of D. Milani (1987). Laser therapy produces no side effects. It is an important contribution to the armamentarium of modern physiotherapeutic methods. When it is administered properly, it is painless, aseptic and does not cause trauma or allergic reactions. Moreover, it reduces the usage of drugs and consumable materials.