Morphological changes in the temporomandibular joints in women with fibromyalgia and myofascial pain: A case series.

Objective: This study investigated the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) morphological changes in women with fibromyalgia (FM) through clinical and tomographic evaluation.Methods: Ten women diagnosed with myofascial pain who were being treated for FM in a university hospital were included in this study. The data were collected through clinical examination and cone beam computed tomography evaluation of the TMJ in closed and open mouth positions.Results: All patients had crackling in the joint, a habit of grinding teeth during sleep, muscle stiffness, and tinnitus. The tomographic findings revealed a higher frequency of condylar bone wear, reduction of joint space, and posterior positioning of the mandibular condyle. The temporomandibular disorders with the highest prevalence were osteoarthritis and disc displacement with reduction.Conclusion: The findings suggest that women with FM have a high frequency of TMD related to the displacement of the articular disc, condyle position, and occurrence of osteoarthritis.

Decompressive craniectomy: a meta-analysis of influences on intracranial pressure and cerebral perfusion pressure in the treatment of traumatic brain injury.

OBJECT: In recent years, the role of decompressive craniectomy for the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in patients with refractory intracranial hypertension has been the subject of several studies. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the contribution of decompressive craniectomy in reducing intracranial pressure (ICP) and increasing cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) in these patients. METHODS: Comprehensive literature searches were performed for articles related to the effects of decompressive craniectomy on ICP and CPP in patients with TBI. Inclusion criteria were as follows: 1) published manuscripts, 2) original articles of any study design except case reports, 3) patients with refractory elevated ICP due to traumatic brain swelling, 4) decompressive craniectomy as a type of intervention, and 5) availability of pre- and postoperative ICP and/or CPP data. Primary outcomes were ICP decrease and/or CPP increase for assessing the efficacy of decompressive craniectomy. The secondary outcome was the persistence of reduced ICP 24 and 48 hours after the operation. RESULTS: Postoperative ICP values were significantly lower than preoperative values immediately after decompressive craniectomy (weighted mean difference [WMD] -17.59 mm Hg, 95% CI -23.45 to -11.73, p < 0.00001), 24 hours after (WMD -14.27 mm Hg, 95% CI -24.13 to -4.41, p < 0.00001), and 48 hours after (WMD -12.69 mm Hg, 95% CI -22.99 to -2.39, p < 0.0001). Postoperative CPP was significantly higher than preoperative values (WMD 7.37 mm Hg, 95% CI 2.32 to 12.42, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Decompressive craniectomy can effectively decrease ICP and increase CPP in patients with TBI and refractory elevated ICP. Further studies are necessary to define the group of patients that can benefit most from this procedure.

Oropharyngeal examination as a predictor of obstructive sleep apnea: pilot study of gag reflex and palatal reflex.

UNLABELLED: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has high prevalence and may cause serious comorbidities. The aim of this trial was to show if simple noninvasive methods such as gag reflex and palatal reflex are prospective multivariate assessments of predictor variables for OSA. METHOD: We evaluate gag reflex and palatal reflex, of fifty-five adult patients, and their subsequent overnight polysomnography. RESULTS: Forty-one participants presented obstructive sleep apnea. The most relevant findings in our study were: [1] absence of gag reflex on patients with severe obstructive apnea (p=0.001); [2] absence of palatal reflex on moderate obstructive apnea patients (p=0.02). CONCLUSION: Gag reflex and palatal reflex, a simple noninvasive test regularly performed in a systematic neurological examination can disclose the impact of the local neurogenic injury associated to snoring and/or obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Swallowing dysfunction related to obstructive sleep apnea: a nasal fibroscopy pilot study.

PURPOSE: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may have subclinical swallowing abnormalities due to progressive mechanical trauma of the pharyngeal tissues caused by snoring. There are few trials on swallowing among OSA patients, and most of them used videoradiography. The aim of this trial was to show swallowing function in OSA patients by nasal fibroscopy. METHOD: Eleven patients with OSA diagnosed by polysomnography, with a mean age of 48 ± 14 years, without spontaneous complaints of swallowing, and 14 non-snoring volunteers, with a mean age of 47 ± 12 years, without spontaneous complaints of swallowing, participated in the study. The participants were evaluated using nasal fibroscopy. Each participant was offered diet boluses (5 and 10 ml) such as thin liquids, purée, and solids, and their swallowing function was determined according to the following criteria: (1) premature oral leakage to the pharynx; (2) laryngeal penetration; (3) tracheal aspiration; and (4) pharyngeal stasis. RESULTS: Sixty-four percent of the OSA patients presented premature oral leakage, 55% presented pharyngeal stasis of the bolus after swallowing, and we did not observe laryngeal penetration or tracheal aspiration. There were no subclinical manifestations in the control group. CONCLUSION: OSA patients presented subclinical manifestations of abnormal swallowing, when analyzed using nasal fibroscopy, possibly associated with neuromuscular injury caused by snoring.

The pharmacological treatment for uremic restless legs syndrome: evidence-based review.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common and often misdiagnosed entity among the general population and it may be more common among dialysis patients, with an estimated prevalence of 6.6 to 21.5%. The treatment for uremic RLS has been controversial and therefore a systematic synthesis of the evidence is needed in order to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of treatments for uremic RLS. This was a systematic review of randomized or quasi-randomized double-blind trials on treatments for uremic RLS. The outcomes considered were relief of RLS symptoms marked on a validated scale, subjective sleep quality, sleep quality measured using night polysomnography and actigraphy, quality of life measured subjectively, and adverse events associated with these treatments. Six eligible clinical trials were included. The results from subjective analyses in these studies were divergent, although objective analyses in one trial showed that there was a statistically significant improvement in periodic leg movement while asleep in the treatment group. No combined analysis (meta-analysis) was performed. The most common adverse event seen was gastrointestinal symptoms. Only a few therapeutic trials on patients with uremia with RLS have been published, and there is insufficient scientific evidence to favor any specific therapeutic regimen for uremic-associated RLS. Therapy using levodopa, dopaminergic agonists, anticonvulsants, and clonidine tend to be effective, but further studies are needed.

Methods for increasing upper airway muscle tonus in treating obstructive sleep apnea: systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using methods for increasing upper airway muscle tonus has been controversial and poorly reported. Thus, a review of the evidence is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of these methods. DESIGN: The design used was a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. DATA SOURCES: Data sources are from the Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase and Scielo, registries of ongoing trials, theses indexed at Biblioteca Regional de Medicina/Pan-American Health Organization of the World Health Organization and the reference lists of all the trials retrieved. REVIEW METHODS: This was a review of randomized or quasi-randomized double-blind trials on OSA. Two reviewers independently applied eligibility criteria. One reviewer assessed study quality and extracted data, and these processes were checked by a second reviewer. The primary outcome was a decrease in the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) of below five episodes per hour. Other outcomes were subjective sleep quality, sleep quality measured by night polysomnography, quality of life measured subjectively and adverse events associated with the treatments. DATA SYNTHESIS: Three eligible trials were included. Two studies showed improvements through the objective and subjective analyses, and one study showed improvement of snoring, but not of AHI while the subjective analyses showed no improvement. The adverse events were reported and they were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: There is no accepted scientific evidence that methods aiming to increase muscle tonus of the stomatognathic system are effective in reducing AHI to below five events per hour. Well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed to assess the efficacy of such methods.

Levodopa for idiopathic restless legs syndrome: evidence-based review.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensory motor disorder characterized by a distressing urge to move the legs and sometimes also other parts of the body usually accompanied by a marked sense of discomfort or pain in the leg or other affected body part. The prevalence of RLS is estimated at 2.7 to 5% of adults and it is more common in women. The treatment of RLS with levodopa has been reported thus a systematic synthesis of evidence is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of levodopa for RLS. Systematic review of randomized or quasi-randomized, double blind trials on levodopa. Relief of restless legs symptoms marked on a validated scale, subjective sleep quality, sleep quality measured by night polysomnography and actigraphy, quality of life measured by subjective measures, adverse events associated with the treatments. Nine eligible clinical trials were included. The subjective analyses of these studies showed contradictory results, although the objective analyses showed that treatment group had a statistically significant improvement of periodic leg movement (PLM) index, favoring the treatment group. The most commonly adverse event seen was gastrointestinal symptoms. The short-term treatment with levodopa was demonstrated effective and safety for PLM, but there was only few trials assessing long-term treatment and the augmentation phenomenon in RLS. Further long-term randomized controlled trials using standard follow-up measurements as the International RLS Study Group Rating Scale are necessary.