[Botulinum A toxin and detrusor sphincter dyssynergia: retrospective study of 47 patients]. / Toxine botulique A et dyssynergie vésico-sphinctérienne : étude rétrospective portant sur 47 patients.

INTRODUCTION: To assess the efficacy of injections of botulinum toxin type A (BT-A) in the urethral sphincter for treating detrusor sphincter dyssynergia (DSD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective observational study of patients with confirmed urodynamic DSD (neurological and non-neurological etiologies) treated at our center from 2002 to 2010. All patients received 300 IU of DYSPORT® injected transperineally under electromyographic control. Using a visual analog scale (VAS) for mictional disorders and the measure of the post-void residual (PVR) as criteria of efficacy, results were classified as "non-satisfactory" (decrease in the VAS<2 or decrease in the PVR<20%), "intermediate" (decrease in the VAS≥2 or decrease in the PVR≥20%) or "satisfactory" (decrease in the VAS>3 or decrease in the PVR>40%). RESULTS: Records of 47 patients (7 women and 40 men) were studied. Mean follow-up was 14.2 months. At the end of follow-up, there were 23.4% (11) of "satisfactory" results, 19.1% (9) of "intermediate" results, 42.6% (20) of "non-satisfactory" results and 14.9% (7) of patients lost for follow-up. The mean decrease in PVR was 60 mL (from an average of 212 to an average of 152 mL). No side effect was observed. CONCLUSION: In this small series reporting the results of the injection of BT-A in the urethral sphincter for DSD, we observed 42.5% of satisfactory or intermediate results without associated side effects.

What is the place of electroneuromyographic studies in the diagnosis and management of pudendal neuralgia related to entrapment syndrome?

Entrapment of the pudendal nerve may be at the origin of chronic perineal pain. This syndrome must be diagnosed because this can result in the indication of surgical decompression of the entrapped nerve for pain relief. Electroneuromyographic (ENMG) investigation is often performed in this context, based on needle electromyography and the study of sacral reflex and pudendal nerve motor latencies. The limits of ENMG investigation, owing to various pathophysiological and technical considerations, should be known. The employed techniques do not assess directly the pathophysiological mechanisms of pain but rather correlate to structural alterations of the pudendal nerve (demyelination or axonal loss). In addition, only direct or reflex motor innervation is investigated, whereas sensory nerve conduction studies should be more sensitive to detect nerve compression. Finally, ENMG cannot differentiate entrapment from other causes of pudendal nerve lesion (stretch induced by surgical procedures, obstetrical damage, chronic constipation...). Thus, perineal ENMG has a limited sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of pudendal nerve entrapment syndrome and does not give direct information about pain mechanisms. Pudendal neuralgia related to nerve entrapment is mainly suspected on specific clinical features and perineal ENMG examination provides additional, but no definitive clues, for the diagnosis or the localization of the site of compression. In fact, the main value of ENMG is to assess objectively pudendal motor innervation when a surgical decompression is considered. Perineal ENMG might predict the outcome of surgery but is of no value for intraoperative monitoring.

Time domain investigation on vibrational dephasing and spectral diffusion in CO-doped solid N2

Infrared picosecond accumulated photon echo experiments have been performed for the first time, using the Orsay Free Electron Laser, on the v = 0-->v = 1 transition of CO in solid nitrogen. The vibrational dephasing time is found to be exceptionally long ( T2>/=120 ns) at low temperature. The analysis of the observed spectral diffusion leads one to assume different energy transfer mechanisms depending on the CO concentration.