[Evaluation of alignment on knees through a software]. / Evaluación de la alineación en rodillas mediante un software.

INTRODUCTION: Diseases of the musculoskeletal system are often accompanied by postural deformity or malalignment. Genu varo or genu valgo can be found in the knees. It is necessary to have a diagnostic support test for diagnosis as well as for follow-up of cases since these diseases are frequently progressive and over time have serious repercussions on patient quality of life. Objective. To evaluate a software program that processes digitalized photographs as a diagnostic test for measuring the mechanical axis in patients with genu varo and genu valgo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mechanical axis in both knees was measured by means of radiography (golden standard) and by means of a software program (proposed diagnostic test) in one hundred patients. Mechanical axis was considered to be abnormal when the angle was equal to or greater than four degrees. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were determined. Interobserver variation was evaluated with kappa statistics. RESULTS: In relation to right knee genu varo, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictivie value were 0.84, 0.87, 0.84, and 0.87, respectively, and for the left knee values were 0.86, 0.87, 0.84, and 0.89, respectively. For genu valgo in the right knee, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 0.78, 0.98, 0.95, and 0.92, respectively, and in the left knee were 0.88, 0.95, 0.88, and 0.95, respectively. Kappa value was 0.9 in the right knee and 0.8 in the left knee. CONCLUSION: The software program (diagnostic test) was useful for diagnosing genu varo or genu valgo, representing a safe and low-cost study.

[Alternative method for measuring the mechanical axis of the knee]. / Método alterno para medición del eje mecánico de rodillas.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the existence of significant differences in the degrees of mal-alignment of the mechanical axis of the knee between a traditional measuring method and an alternative method. MATERIALS AND METHODS. One hundred mechanical axes of the knee were determined in patients of both sexes. The degree of axis mal-alignment was obtained first using the traditional measuring method and subsequently using the alternative method. The results obtained from the two methods were then compared. The measurement variable control was standardised by positioning the patients in the same place during radiography when beginning mechanical axis determination. A wooden ruler on which each centimetre was indicated by a metal strip and numbered at every 10-centimeter interval was used to evaluate the degree of pelvic mal-alignment. The ruler was then used as a mechanical axis correction reference in accordance with the characteristics of each patient. RESULTS: The following results were obtained from 100 mechanical axes evaluated by the traditional method and by the alternative method, respectively: varus deformity of the right pelvic segment was 21 degrees +/- 16 degreesuv. 7 ++/-6. degrees varus deformity of the left pelvic segment was 22 _+/-170 degreesvs. 8 ++/-50 degrees valgus deformity of the right pelvic segment was 21 - /-150 degreess. 8 + +/-; and valgus deformity of the left pelvic segment was 16 +/- 11 vs. 6 +/- 5 degrees. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the proposed method provides more accurate mechanical axis measurement and that the correction is exponential: the greater the angle measured traditionally, the greater the correction with our proposed method.

Cefalea recurrente en la consulta de neurología del Hospital Nacional de Niños: 2001-2002: [revisión] / Recurrent headache in the neurology department of Hospital Nacional de Niños: 2001-2002: [review]

Se estudiaron retrospectivamente, 78 pacientes con cefalea recurrente referidos al servicio de Neurología del HNN durante los años 2001 y 2002. 51 por ciento de los pacientes venían referidos por un pediatra, con un tiempo de espera para ser atendidos en el HNN, menor de dos meses (80 por ciento). El grupo representó el 16,5 por ciento de la consulta de pacientes nuevos. 43 varones (55.1 por ciento) y 35 mujeres (44.9 por ciento), de 2 a 13 años de edad (promedio 8), tenían menos de 1 año de evolución de cefalea (50 por ciento), de intensidad moderada (70 por ciento), pulsátil (70 por ciento) y asociada a náuses, vómitos, defectos visuales y fotofobia en 36, 30, 27 y 13 pacientes respectivamente. En 36 niños no se reportó ningún factor desencadenante pero el estrés precipitaba los síntomas en 35 casos. El 72 por ciento tenían el antecedente familiar de migraña. A 61 pacientes se les realizó una tomografía axial computarizada (TAC), que fue normal en 59, uno tenía atrofia cortical y subcortical y otro hallazgos sugestivos de neurocisticercosis. Los diagnósticos principales fueron migraña (95 por ciento) y cefalea tensional (3 por ciento), con respuesta satisfactoria (85 por ciento de los casos) a las recomendaciones, analgésicos o al tratamiento preventivo, permitiendo remitirles (75 por ciento) a sus consultas de origen. Niños con cefalea recurrente y examen neurológico normal deben recibir recomendaciones, información y seguimiento, no siendo generalmente necesario referir a Neurología, hacer exámenes paraclínicos ni hospitalizar.