Atypical femoral fracture as first sign of non-hodgkin lymphoma- case report with a brief review of the literature.

ABSTRACT: Atypical subtrochanteric and diaphyseal femoral fractures (AFF) have been suggested to be associated with the use of bisphosphonates (BPs), but the role of these drugs is still under debate. A 64-year old female, never treated with BPs was admitted to our Rehabilitation Institute because of a recent right AFF. The patient began suffering from low back pain radiating to the groin and to the anterior regions of the right thigh and leg, A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of the lumbar spine showed disc protrusions at the L3-L4 and L5-S1 levels with impingement of the spinal nerve root. Therefore she was treated with analgesic, anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxing compounds for nine months without reduction of symptoms. Being the pain still present, the patient felt down the street breaking the right femoral neck and the femoral distal shaft. Following the ASBMR criteria the fracture was classified as a complete AFF and the patient underwent surgical ostheosynthesis with nail. A bone biopsy of the fracture site was performed showing findings consistent with B-cells non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Immuno-histochemical analysis highlighted that the atypical cells were follicolar G2 pattern diffuse large B cells. CONCLUSIONS: AFF can occur also in patients not treated with BPs. In the present case report, the cause of the fracture was a NHL. Even uncommon, this occurrence should be considered in the differential diagnosis of radicular pain.

Functional course of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, characterized by aggressive deterioration of white matter pathways throughout the subcortical brain parenchyma. This disease leads the patient to a total dependence in all activities of daily (ADLs) living in few months. The literature on rehabilitation of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is scanty and, at present, it is unknown whether rehabilitation may modify the course of disability in this disease. This paper describes the functional course of a patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy who incurred in a severe functional impairment of ADLs after an unintentional fall and prolonged bed rest. The multidisciplinary in-hospital rehabilitation program and integrated homecare approach allowed the patient to improve her functional capacities and go on with living at home.

Determinants of outcome in hip fracture: role of daily living activities.

BACKGROUND: Very few studies have investigated activities of daily living (ADLs) post hip-surgery as a possible determinant of functional outcome after hip fracture. AIM: This prospective, observational study aimed to correlate hip-fracture patients' ADLs on admission to in-hospital rehabilitation with their functional outcome post-rehabilitation. METHODS: Of 216 consecutive hip-fracture patients admitted to our Rehabilitation Unit, 204 patients were eligible for the final analyses. All patients underwent the usual rehabilitation. At admission, basic ADLs were assessed by the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scale. Discharge scores, efficiency and effectiveness in motor-FIM, and discharge destination were outcome measures. Backward stepwise regressions were performed to identify determinants of outcome measures. Age, sex, education, number of relatives, orthopedic treatment, onset to admission interval, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Cumulative Illness Rating Scale, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, ROM, Muscle Strength, and FIM scores at admission were independent variables. RESULTS: There was functional gain in all ADLs post-rehabilitation, walking being the FIM-item with the highest efficiency and effectiveness (respectively, 0.14±0.0 and 64.2±21). Multivariate analyses showed that MMSE was a determinant of final score, efficiency, and effectiveness in motor-FIM. Bladder control was a determinant of final score and effectiveness in motor-FIM, while eating and bathing were determinants of final motor-FIM score. Bowel management was the only determinant of discharge destination. CONCLUSION: Basic ADLs, in particular eating, bathing, bladder and bowel management, are important determinants of outcome in hip fracture. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: The results of this study suggest that, in designing studies on outcome prediction in hip fracture, researchers should include tests assessing performance of basic ADLs as independent variables, as this could allow to identify new prognostic indicators that may be helpful for physicians in managing hip fracture patients post-rehabilitation.

Low back pain radiating to the leg: an atypical cause.

This study reports the case of a 47-year old female with low back pain radiating to groin and anterior regions of the left thigh and leg. At symptoms onset, electromyography showed left L3-L4 radiculopathy, and nuclear magnetic resonance revealed disc protrusion at the same level with impingement of the spinal nerve root. The clinical symptoms were ascribed to lumbar disco-radicular conflict. The patient underwent steroidal anti-inflammatory treatment with epidural steroid injections, chiropractic spinal manipulations and rehabilitation program, with no relief. Thirteen months after the onset of pain, a computed tomography of sacroiliac joints showed osteolytic lesion in the iliac bone of left joint, and a bone scintigraphy highlighted foci of intense uptake at left iliac bone and left proximal extremity of the femur. The bone biopsy and pathological examinations showed findings consistent with large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This case report highlights the fact that in making differential diagnosis of low back pain radiating to the leg we have to consider the rare possibility that pain can be due to non-Hodgkin lymphoma that involves simultaneously the iliac bone and proximal extremity of the femur.

Volume reduction in cerebral blood flow in patients with Alzheimer's disease: a sonographic study.

Neuroimaging techniques such as PET and SPECT demonstrated a consistent reduction of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of the study was to assess the potential role of ultrasonography for CBF measurement in AD patients and whether the CBF volume correlates positively with disease severity. Fifty patients who met the diagnostic criteria of probable AD (NINDS-ADRDA) were compared to 50 age-matched healthy elderly volunteers. The extracranial internal carotid arteries (ICAs) and the vertebral arteries (VAs) of the patients and controls were examined. Angle-corrected time-averaged flow velocity (TAV) and the diameter of the vessel were measured. Intravascular flow volumes were calculated as the product of TAV and the cross-sectional area of the circular vessel. CBF volume was calculated as the sum of flow volumes in the ICAs and VAs of both sides. All subjects underwent the MMSE. The mean global CBF (474.87 +/- 94.085 vs. 744.26 +/- 94.082 ml/min; p < 0.0001) was lower in AD patients than in healthy volunteers. A significant decline in global flow volumes (r = 0.48; p < 0.0007) with the degree of cognitive impairment was also present. The ability of ultrasonography to characterize flow decreases makes such a technique an attractive tool for the study of AD, for the evaluation of pharmacological therapies and, possibly, for early diagnosis.

Carbapenems in the treatment of severe community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalized elderly patients: a comparative study against standard therapy.

In this open, prospective, study were enrolled 204 hospitalized elderly patients with severe (88 males, 116 females, age range 70-94). Patients were randomized to receive one of the following antibiotic treatment regimens: meropenem 500 mg i.v. t.i.d. (52); imipenem/cilastatin 500 mg i.v. t.i.d. (51), clarithromycin 500 mg + ceftriaxone 1 g i.v. b.i.d. (52), clarithromycin 500 mg + amikacin 250 mg i.v. b.i.d. (49). In 99 cases causative germs were isolated (24 meropenem, 26 imipenem, 23 clarithromycin + ceftriaxone, 26 ceftriaxone + amikacin). A satisfactory clinical, bacteriological response was achieved respectively in 86.5% 77% in meropenem; 86.3% 71% in imipenem/cilastatin; 69% 61% in ceftriaxone + clarithromycin and in 85.7% 77% in clarithromycin + amikacin. The mean total cost for each patient was $1,560; $1,620; $1,760 and $1,792 in meropenem, imipenem/cilastatin, clarithromycin + ceftriaxone and clarithromycin + amikacin respectively. This study shows that treatment with either meropenem or imipenem is as efficacious as conventional therapy in the treatment of community acquired pneumonia (CAP), and that meropenem is the most cost-effective.