The radiological reporting of lumbar Scheuermann's disease: an unnecessary source of confusion amongst clinicians and patients.

Patients with mechanical lower back pain not uncommonly present to clinicians with anxiety following a diagnosis of "Scheuermann's disease" based on a report of a plain radiograph of the lumbar spine. In most instances, the radiographs show features of lumbar Scheuermann's, rather than the classical adolescent thoracic kyphosis described by Scheuermann in 1920. The purpose of this study was (i) to investigate how often the diagnosis of Scheuermann's disease was made at a District General Hospital in radiological reports sent to local general practitioners (GPs); (ii) to determine the type of "Scheuermann's disease" being described; and (iii) to assess what GPs understood by the term "Scheuermann's disease" in the context of a specific clinical presentation. 50 reports were identified in a computerized search for diagnoses of "Scheuermann's disease". Review of the radiographs revealed that 80% showed features of lumbar Scheuermann's disease and 20% classical Scheuermann's. A questionnaire was issued to local GPs that described a case history of an adult patient with typical mechanical lower back pain for whom a radiological report, describing degenerative changes in the lumbar spine, concluded that some of the features "were consistent with Scheuermann's disease". 86% of GPs stated that they would inform their patients that they had "Scheuermann's disease" (using that exact term), but only 51% understood the meaning of the diagnosis in the context of the case history. We recommend that the term "Scheuermann's disease" be avoided in radiological reports to GPs and other non-specialist clinicians except when reporting on classical adolescent thoracic kyphosis.

Urine screening for abused drugs in new admissions to a VA hospital.

The urine samples from two groups of Veteran's Administration patients newly admitted to general psychiatry units were screened in 1985 and in 1987-88 for abused drugs. The results were compared with urine samples from controls with similar age distributions admitted to an alcohol and drug abuse unit or to medical-surgical units. About 40% of all newly admitted patients were positive for one or more controlled drugs, but there were no significant differences among patient groups in the percentage of urine samples positive for these drugs. Marijuana and benzodiazepines were detected frequently in all patient groups and often in combination, although opiates also were frequently detected in the urine samples from the medical-surgical patients. There was a clear decrease in drug-positive samples with age in all patient groups, much of which could be accounted for by decreased marijuana detection.

Donor site pain from the ilium. A complication of lumbar spine fusion.

Chronic pain at the donor site was reported by 25% of 290 patients who had undergone anterior lumbar spine fusion for low back pain. Donor site pain has characteristic clinical features, may be severely disabling and is stubbornly resistant to treatment. The highest prevalence was in patients who had a tricortical full thickness graft taken through a separate incision overlying the iliac crest. Patients with a clinically unsatisfactory result from the spine fusion also had a significantly higher prevalence of donor site pain.

Effects of repeated drug holidays on serum haloperidol concentrations, psychiatric symptoms, and movement disorders in schizophrenic patients.

In a crossover experiment the authors investigated the effects of repeated weekly, 2-day, haloperidol drug holidays on serum haloperidol concentrations, mental status, and neuroleptic-induced movement disorders in seven chronic schizophrenic patients. Haloperidol concentrations decreased about 64% during the initial 36 hours of drug holiday and subsequently increased slightly during the next 24 hours of drug holiday. Two-day weekly drug holidays for 6 weeks resulted in an average reduction of 25% in serum haloperidol concentrations at all drug holiday points. Mental status and movement disorders scores, rated by observers blind to the drug-holiday condition, were not significantly affected by drug holidays.

A clinical review of the adult hip guidance orthosis (Para Walker) in traumatic paraplegics.

Twenty Adult traumatic paraplegics with neurologically complete lesions between C8 and T12 have ambulated using a ParaWalker (adult hip guidance orthosis), for a minimum of 6 months at home. At follow up, on average 20 months from the date of issue of the orthosis, 17 patients (85%) were still regularly using their ParaWalker. Patients achieved independent use of the orthosis and low energy ambulation both indoors and outdoors on a variety of surfaces. A new classification of adult paraplegic ambulation using an orthosis is described.

The shelf operation in the management of late presentation of congenital hip dysplasia.

Shelf operations performed on 24 patients (27 hips) for late presentation of congenital hip dysplasia were evaluated. The mean age at operation was 14 years 9 months and the mean follow-up 16 years 8 months. Two-thirds of the hips had good clinical results at follow-up. Patients operated on under the age of 20 years and with little or no radiological evidence of degenerative joint changes had the highest likelihood of success. The shelf operation was found to provide good cover of the femoral head and, should failure occur, also provides adequate superior support for the seating of an acetabular prosthesis.