A 61-year-old man was found to have an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) during follow-up for ischemic heart disease. On admission, ultrasonograms and computed tomograms revealed a thickened aortic wall surrounded by a soft tissue (so-called mantle). The obstructive right anterior brain artery and stenotic right internal carotid artery were also detected by angiography. Coronary angiography demonstrated multiple stenotic lesions of the coronary arteries. The excised AAA was replaced with an prosthetic graft. The mobilization of the adjacent viscera was kept as little as possible in order to prevent injury to them. We reported a case of “inflammatory” abdominal aneurysm associated with various atherosclerotic lesions.

Subchondral insufficiency fracture (SIF) of the femoral head is one of the predominant etiologies of rapidly progressive osteoarthritis of the hip (RPOH). SIF is a rare disease that causes acute pain in the hip joint. It is most frequently found in elderly women with osteoporosis. It is often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed as osteonecrosis of the femoral head. SIF is currently a well-established cause of RPOH; however, the deeper etiology of SIF is not clear. Good clinical outcomes have been reported for hip preservation therapy and hip replacement. SIF is not obvious radiologically in the early stage, and a T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging shows a discontinuous low-intensity band under the articular cartilage convex to the articular surface as its characteristic manifestation. Some patients will lose the opportunity to preserve the hip joint due to symptoms such as progressive joint space narrowing and subchondral collapse within a very short period. Patients with progressive hip space narrowing and subchondral collapse on Xray should be converted to total hip arthroplasty. Based on the characteristics of the disease, surgeons need to master the clinical and radiological characteristics of SIF and strive for early diagnosis and treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze patient characteristics of cancer rehabilitation and outcomes at our hospital. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed 580 patients, who underwent cancer rehabilitation at our hospital and rehabilitation outcome after therapy were investigated. The relationship between the initial Barthel index and discharge outcomes was investigated, with a special focus on cancer patients with bone metastasis. The Barthel index and performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) before and after rehabilitation were analyzed, and threshold value of home discharge was calculated from a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). General criteria for home discharge from our hospital included independence in performing basic activities of daily living such as bathing, feeding, and toileting or availability of home support from a family member/caregiver. RESULTS: The outcomes after rehabilitation among all the patients were as follows: discharge home 59%, death 13%, and others 27%. Statistical differences were observed between the initial and final values of the Barthel index in patients with bone metastasis, who could be discharged home (p=0.012). ROC analysis of the initial Barthel index for predicting home discharge revealed a threshold value of 60, sensitivity of 0.76, and specificity of 0.72. CONCLUSION: The patients with bone metastasis had a lower rate of home discharge and a higher rate of mortality than all the study patients who underwent cancer rehabilitation at our hospital. It is proposed that at the time of initiation of rehabilitation for patients with bone metastasis, an initial Barthel index lower than 60 might predict a worse outcome than home discharge.
Activities of Daily Living ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Baths ; Humans ; Mortality ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Rehabilitation ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Treatment Outcome