Surgical Treatment Compared to Conservative Treatment in Remission of Pain and Hyposthesia in Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome ­ Systematic Review / Tratamento cirúrgico comparado ao tratamento conservador na remissão da dor e hipoestesia na síndrome do túnel do tarso ­ Revisão sistemática

Introduction Tarsal tunnel syndrome (TTS) is caused by compression of the posterior tibial nerve. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of surgical treatments compared to conser vative treatments in reducing the symptoms of the syndrome. Methods The PubMed, Lilacs, Cochrane Library, and PEDro databases were used for this review. Results Only 11 articles were selected. Conclusion The most common causes of TTS identified were presence of ganglia, bone prominence causing a talocalcaneal collision, trauma, varicose and idiopathic veins. The main symptom was pain in the medial plantar region and paresthesia that can radiate to the fingers or to the calf. Most patients have a positive Tinel sign upon physical examination. Electrodiagnostic test usually shows the presence of latency in sensory nerve conduction. There is no consensus suggesting that a longer time between diagnosis and surgical treatment leads to worse prognosis. In the group of operated patients, the ones who benefited most from the procedure were those who had a structure such as ganglion, cysts, or varicosities causing compression. The most cited surgical complications were postsurgical wound infection, wound dehiscence, and calcaneus hypoesthesia. Regarding surgical techniques, the release of the posterior tibial nerve via endoscopy had a favorable outcome in relation to the symptoms of pain and hypoesthesia, with no reports of infection of the operative site in the articles identified in this review. We observed a rate of good or excellent pain control of 68% (n » 204) for open surgery (n » 299), 100% (n » 8) for endoscopic surgery (n » 8), and 7% (n » 2) for conservative treatment (n » 28).

Introdução A síndrome do túnel do tarso (STT) é causada pela compressão do nervo tibial posterior. Objetivo Avaliar a eficácia dos tratamentos cirúrgicos em comparação aos conservadores na redução dos sintomas da síndrome. Métodos Foram utilizados as bases de dados PubMed, Lilacs, Cochrane Library e PEDro. Resultados Apenas 11 artigos foram selecionados. Conclusão As causas mais comuns de STT identificadas foram presença de gânglios, proeminência óssea causando colisão talocalcânea, trauma, varizes e veias. O principal sintoma foi dor na região plantar medial e parestesia, que pode irradiar para os dedos ou panturrilha. A grande maioria dos pacientes apresenta um sinal de Tinel positivo no exame físico. O teste eletrodiagnóstico geralmente mostra a presença de latência na condução nervosa sensorial. Não há consenso de que o maior tempo entre o diagnóstico e o tratamento cirúrgico leva a um pior prognóstico. No grupo de pacientes operados, os que mais se beneficiaram com o procedimento foram aqueles que apresentavam estrutura como gânglio, cistos ou varicosidades causando compressão. As complicações cirúrgicas mais citadas foram infecção da ferida operatória, deiscência da ferida e hipoestesia do calcâneo. A cirurgia endoscópica teve evolução favorável em relação aos sintomas de dor e hipoestesia, não havendo relato de infecção do sítio operatório. Observou-se que a taxa de bom ou excelente controle da dor foi de 68% (n » 204) para cirurgia aberta (n » 299), 100% (n » 8) para cirurgia endoscópica (n » 8), e 7% (n » 2) para o tratamento conservador (n » 28).

Comparison Between Supraclavicular Versus Video-Assisted Intrathoracic Phrenic Nerve Section for Transfer in Patients With Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injuries: Case Series.

BACKGROUND: The phrenic nerve has been extensively reported to be a very powerful source of transferable axons in brachial plexus injuries. The most used technique used is supraclavicular sectioning of this nerve. More recently, video-assisted thoracoscopic techniques have been reported as a good alternative, since harvesting a longer phrenic nerve avoids the need of an interposed graft. OBJECTIVE: To compare grafting vs phrenic nerve transfer via thoracoscopy with respect to mean elbow strength at final follow-up. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted among patients who underwent phrenic nerve transfer for elbow flexion at 2 centers from 2008 to 2017. All data analysis was performed in order to determine statistical significance among the analyzed variables. RESULTS: A total of 32 patients underwent supraclavicular phrenic nerve transfer, while 28 underwent phrenic nerve transfer via video-assisted thoracoscopy. Demographic characteristics were similar in both groups. A statistically significant difference in elbow flexion strength recovery was observed, favoring the supraclavicular phrenic nerve section group against the intrathoracic group (P = .036). A moderate though nonsignificant difference was observed favoring the same group in mean elbow flexion strength. Also, statistical differences included patient age (P = .01) and earlier time from trauma to surgery (P = .069). CONCLUSION: Comparing supraclavicular sectioning of the nerve vs video-assisted, intrathoracic nerve sectioning to restore elbow flexion showed that the former yielded statistically better results than the latter, in terms of the percentage of patients who achieve at least level 3 MRC strength at final follow-up. Furthermore, larger scale prospective studies assessing the long-term effects of phrenic nerve transfers remain necessary.

Brachial Plexus Injuries with Ulnar Musculocutaneous Transfer: 78 Cases Study Focused on Possible Postoperative Complications

Objective To analyze 78 cases of brachial plexus injury submitted to the Oberlin technique between 2003 and 2012. The potential complications of this technique were analyzed, especially motor damage or hypoesthesia of the hand. Method Medical records from patients with brachial plexus injuries at the levels of the C5-C6 and C5-C6-C7 vertebrae were retrospectively analyzed. Cases submitted to the Oberlin procedure with or without concomitant brachial plexus procedures between 2003 and 2012 were evaluated. The minimum follow-up period was of 1 year. In addition to the clinical examination, electromyography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brachial plexus were used to diagnose and locate the nerve damage. Results A total of 78 surgical patients met the inclusion criteria. Postoperative neurological changes, mostly transient, were observed in 18 patients. Hypoesthesia in the ulnar side of the handwas observed in seven cases; neuropathic pain in five cases; allodynia in four cases, and hand motor loss in two cases. Conclusion Based on the results of the present case series, we conclude that there are few sequelae in the donor nerve territory compared with the benefit of the Oberlin technique on the recovery of elbow flexion after brachial plexus injuries.

Results of Phrenic Nerve Transfer to the Musculocutaneous Nerve Using Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy in Patients with Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injury: Series of 28 Cases.

BACKGROUND: The phrenic nerve can be transferred to the musculocutaneous nerve using video-assisted thoracoscopy, aiming at the recovery of elbow flexion in patients with traumatic brachial plexus injuries. There are few scientific papers in the literature that evaluate the results of this operative technique. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate biceps strength and pulmonary function after the transfer of the phrenic nerve to the musculocutaneous nerve using video-assisted thoracoscopy. METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out in a sample composed of 28 patients who were victims of traumatic injury to the brachial plexus from 2008 to 2013. Muscle strength was graded using the British Medical Research Council (BMRC) scale and pulmonary function through spirometry. Statistical tests, with significance level of 5%, were used. RESULTS: In total, 74.1% of the patients had biceps strength greater than or equal to M3. All patients had a decrease in forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 s, with no evidence of recovery over time. CONCLUSION: Transferring the phrenic nerve to the musculocutaneous nerve using video-assisted thoracoscopy may lead to an increase in biceps strength to BMRC M3 or greater in most patients. Considering the deterioration in the parameters of spirometry observed in our patients and the future effects of aging in the respiratory system, it is not possible at the moment to guarantee the safety of this operative technique in the long term.

Compressão medular decorrente de hiperdrenagem de derivação ventriculoperitoneal: uma rara complicação / Spinal cord compression caused by ventriculoperitoneal shunt overdrainage: a rare complication

A derivação ventriculoperitoneal (DVP) representa uma forma importante e comum de tratamento da hidrocefalia. Entretanto, pode ocorrer uma série de complicações durante a sua instalação ou por causa de seu mau funcionamento, como infecção, obstrução e hiperdrenagem liquórica. Nesse trabalho, descrevemos uma rara complicação em que um paciente submetido à DVP evoluiu com tetraparesia progressiva. Investigação posterior evidenciou hiperdrenagem da válvula, levando a diminuição do retorno venoso intracraniano, dilatação do plexo venoso epidural e consequente compressão medular no nível da junção bulbomedular. Após o diagnóstico, fizemos o ajuste no nível de desempenho da válvula, e o paciente evoluiu com melhora clínica. Concluímos que o conhecimento desse tipo de complicação associada à disfunção de DVP pode levar a um diagnóstico mais precoce e melhor resposta ao tratamento. O tratamento envolve a correção do fator causal, ou seja, a hiperdrenagem...

The ventriculoperitoneal shunt represents an important and common treatment of hydrocephalus. However, there may be a number of complications during installation or due to a malfunction, such as infection, obstruction and overdrainage. In this paper, we described a rare complication in a patient submitted to a shunt who evolved to progressive tetraparesis. Further investigation showed valve overdrainage, leading to a decrease in venous return, intracranial epidural venous plexus dilatation and consequent cord compression at cervicomedullary junction. After the diagnosis, we adjusted the level of performance of the valve and the patient clinically improved. We concluded that the knowledge of this kind of complication related to shunt dysfunction may take to an early diagnosis and a better treatment response. The treatment involves correcting the causative factor which is the overdrainage...

Aneurisma gigante da artéria cerebral média e síndrome de Kernohan: relato de caso / Giant middle cerebral artery aneurysm and Kernohan syndrome. Case report

Os aneurismas gigantes intracranianos podem se manifestar de diversas formas. Neste trabalho, relatamos o caso de uma paciente com um aneurisma gigante da artéria cerebral média manifestando-se através da síndrome de Kernohan, raramente encontrada em aneurismas cerebrais. Diagnóstico e tratamento são discutidos.