We investigated the prevalence of, and factors in, urinary incontinence among the people of middle to advanced age, using a yes/no questionnaire. The total number of respondents was 4, 020 (1, 520 males and 2, 500 females). Seventy-five percent of them were over 65 years old (median age: 67 years). The prevalence of urinary incontinence was 14% for the males and 30% for the females. The data were analyzed by standard statistical tests, such as χ² tests. The factors closely associated with urinary incontinence were aging, the high urinary frequency in a day, a history of cerebrovascular accidents, difficulty of urination in the males and UTI in the females. Urinary incontinence of the urge type account for 64% of the males and that of the stress type 81% of the females. Fifteen percent of the males and 6% of the females had consulted with physicians or urologists about urinary incontinence. These percentages were lower than those in European countries. However, we suspect that there may be much more latent patients who suffer from urinary incontinence in their daily community life.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. PURPOSE: A comparison of mini open foraminotomy (MOF) for cervical radiculopathy using either large tubular (LT) or TrimLine (TL) retractors. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Posterior foraminotomy relieves compression of the cervical nerve root in radiculopathy patients. However, invasion of the paravertebral muscle may cause major problems in these patients. To address these problems, we performed MOF. METHODS: Twenty cervical radiculopathy patients (16 male and 4 female) who underwent MOF between May 2004 and August 2011 were assigned to LT and TL groups. Each group contained 10 subjects. Surgical and clinical outcomes were compared. RESULTS: The average operating time in the TL group was significantly shorter than that in the LT group. The final follow-up mean neck disability indices significantly improved compared to the preoperative values (LT group, 12.0+/-7.8 vs. 28.0+/-9.4; TL group, 6.0+/-5.9 vs. 21.9+/-10). The final follow-up neck pain visual analog scale (VAS) scores also decreased significantly from the preoperative of 8.0+/-1.5 and 2.5+/-2.5 to the final follow-up values of 2.2+/-2.2 and 1.0+/-2.5 in the LT and TL groups, respectively. The recovery rate for the neck pain VAS score was 70.0+/-31.9 in the LT group and 87.0+/-32.0 in the TL group, thus suggesting no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: MOF with the TL retractor is an easy and safe procedure. Furthermore, the use of the TL retractor allows for a minimally invasive and effective surgical treatment of cervical radiculopathy patients.
Follow-Up Studies ; Foraminotomy* ; Humans ; Male ; Neck ; Neck Pain ; Radiculopathy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Analog Scale

Background/Aims: Thromboprophylaxis is recommended for hospitalized patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Western countries, although it is selectively administered to high-risk patients in East Asia. A central venous catheter (CVC) is commonly placed in patients with IBD. Although CVC placement is considered a risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE), the degree of increased risk in patients with IBD is uncertain. This study aimed to identify the risk of VTE with CVC placement in hospitalized Japanese patients with IBD without thromboprophylaxis. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease who were admitted for disease flares at Keio University Hospital between January 2016 and December 2020. Patients who already had thrombosis or were administered any antithrombotic treatment on admission were excluded. VTE development during the hospitalization was surveyed, and VTE risk associated with CVC indwelling was estimated using propensity score matching and inverse probability of treatment weighting analyses. Results: Altogether, 497 hospitalized patients with IBD (ulcerative colitis, 327; Crohn’s disease, 170) were enrolled. VTE developed in 9.30% (12/129) of catheterized patients and in 0.82% (3/368) of non-catheterized patients. The propensity score matching yielded 127 matched pairs of patients. The catheterized group demonstrated higher odds for VTE than the non-catheterized group (odds ratio, 13.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.68–102.70). A similar result was obtained in the inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis (odds ratio, 11.02; 95% confidence interval, 2.64–46.10). Conclusions CVC placement is a major risk factor for VTE among hospitalized Japanese patients with IBD without thromboprophylaxis.