Epstein's syndrome is a rare disease whish is characterized by the association of thrombocytopenia, macrothrombocytopathia, nephritis and deafness. We experienced a case of Epstein's syndrome in a 12 years old male patient who was presented with a life long history of bleeding, usually as epistaxis, bilateral sensorineural deafness and hematuria with proteinuria starting in late childhood. Hematologic studies showed thrombocytopenia with giant platelets and anemia. A bone marrow aspirate revealed the megakaryocytes to be adequate in number and many giant size platelets. Platelet do not respond to addition of A and epinephrine; collagen and ristocetin induced agglutination response is decreased. It is difficult to be certain the association of thrombocytopenia with giant platelets, nephritis and deafness constitutes a new hereditary disease with a distinct pathogenesis or if it is an expansion of the well recognized Alport's syndrome of hereditary nephritis deafness. We report a case of Epstein's syndrome syndrome with brief review of related literatures.
Agglutination ; Anemia ; Blood Platelets ; Bone Marrow ; Child ; Collagen ; Deafness ; Epinephrine ; Epistaxis ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; Hematuria ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Male ; Megakaryocytes ; Nephritis ; Nephritis, Hereditary ; Proteinuria ; Rare Diseases ; Ristocetin ; Thrombocytopenia

Background: Lumbar transforaminal epidural block (TFEB) is an effective treatment modality for radicular pain due to lumbar disc herniation (LDH). The addition of steroids is more effective than local anesthetic alone in TFEBs for patients with LDH. Moreover, the efficacy of TFEBs has been reported to be positively correlated with the volume of injectate. We hypothesized that high-volume TFEBs without steroids effectively alleviate axial back and radicular pain associated with LDH. This study compared the efficacy of high-volume TFEBs with vs. without steroids for the management of the axial and radicular pain caused by LDH. Methods: A total of 54 patients were randomly assigned to either group L or group D.Patients in group L received 8-mL injections of 0.33% lidocaine only. Patients in group D received 8-mL injections of 0.33% lidocaine with 5 mg of dexamethasone. The primary outcomes were pain intensity at baseline and 4 weeks after the procedure. The secondary outcomes included the change of functional disability between baseline and 4 weeks after the procedure, pain scores during injection, and adverse effects. Results: Both groups showed a significant reduction in axial and radicular pain and improvement in the functional status at the outpatient visit 4 weeks after TFEB. However, there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of changes in back pain (10.00 [20.00] vs. 10.00 [22.50]; P = 0.896) or radicular pain (5.00 [20.00] vs.10.00 [12.50]; P = 0.871). Conclusion High-volume TFEBs with and without steroid administration yielded similar significant pain reductions and functional improvements among LDH patients 4 weeks after the procedure.

Background: A cervical transforaminal epidural (TFE) steroid injection is a useful treatment option for cervical radicular pain, but it carries a small risk of catastrophic complications.Several studies have reported that cervical facet joint (FJ) steroid injection can reduce cervical radicular pain through an indirect epidural spread. The aim of this retrospective comparative study was to evaluate the pain scores and functional disability in subjects receiving cervical FJ or TFE steroid injection for the treatment of cervical radicular pain due to foraminal stenosis (FS). Methods: We selected 278 patients 18 years of age and older who underwent cervical FJ (n = 130) or TFE (n= 148) steroid injection for cervical radicular pain. The primary outcomes included pain scores and functional disability during hospital visits one, three, and six months after the initial injection. Secondary outcomes were the proportion of responders and Medication Quantification Scale (MQS) scores. Adverse events and variables correlating with effectiveness one month after the initial injection were also evaluated. Results: The Numeric Rating Scale and Neck Disability Index scores showed a significant improvement one, three, and six months after the initial injection in both groups, with no significant differences between the groups. No significant differences were observed in the success rates of the procedure one, three, and six months after the initial injection for either group. There were no significant differences in MQS between the groups during the followup period. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that the injection method, age, sex, number of injections, FS severity, MQS, pain duration, and the presence of cervical disc herniation were not independent predictors of treatment success. Conclusion The efficacy of FJ steroid injection may not be inferior to that of TFE steroid injection in patients with cervical radicular pain due to FS.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound-guided interscalene brachial plexus block (US-ISB) has been reported to be effective postoperative analgesia for arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Although considered rare, various neurological complications have been reported. We retrospectively evaluated 668 patients for post operation neurological symptoms including hemidiaphragmatic paresis and post-operative neurologic symptoms after US-ISB. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of 668 patients undergoing shoulder surgery with single-shot US-ISB from January 2010 to May 2015. The general anesthesia prior to the US-guided ISB procedure was standardized by expert anesthesiologists. Neurological postoperative complications were evaluated at 48 hours, about 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and up to resolution after operation. RESULTS: Three patients (0.4%) developed hemidiaphragmatic paresis (HDP), which were likely US-ISB associated and improved within 1 day. Two patients developed sensory symptoms, also likely US-ISB associated; one was paresthesia at the tip of the thumb/index finger, which resolved within 2 weeks, and the other was hypoesthesia involving the posterior auricular nerve, which resolved within 6 months. Motor and sensory symptoms which were not likely associated with US-ISB were hypoesthesia and pain (n = 28, 4.6%) and motor weakness (n = 2, 0.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of HDP and neurological complications, respectively 0.4% and 0.3%, related to transient minor sensory symptoms occurred after US-ISB for arthroscopic shoulder surgery but the complications improved spontaneously. Therefore, we confirm that the US-ISB procedure with low volumes of local anesthetics is an acceptable technique with a low rate of HDP and neurological complications.
Analgesia ; Anesthesia and Analgesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Anesthetics, Local ; Arthroscopy ; Brachial Plexus Block ; Fingers ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Incidence ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Paresis ; Paresthesia ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies* ; Shoulder* ; Ultrasonography*

The genetic status of cagA, vacA subtype, iceA1, and babA, and the relationship to gastroduodenal diseases were assessed in Helicobacter pylori isolates in Korea. Seventy-six strains of H. pylori were isolated from the antrum and the corpus of 41 adult patients (22 with peptic ulcer and 19 with gastritis). The cagA, iceA1, and babA genes were assessed by polymerase chain reaction and the vacA subtypes were determined by reverse hybridization-line probe assay. The positive rates of 349-bp cagA, 208-bp cagA, iceA1, and babA genes were 97.4%, 96.1%, 84.2%, and 36.1%, respectively. The vacA s1a, s1b, s1c, and s2 variants were detected in 11.8%, 3.9%, 80.4%, and 1.3%, respectively. m1 (78.9%) is more prevalent than m2 (5.3%). The most common vacA genotype was s1c/m1 (61.9%), and 14 isolates (18.4%) contained mixed vacA genotypes from a single biopsy specimen. Twenty-one (60%) of 35 patients were infected with more than two strains of different cagA, iceA1, babA, and vacA genotypes. None of cagA, iceA1, babA, and vacA s1/m1 were associated with peptic ulcer. In conclusion, most H. pylori isolates in Korea carry cagA, iceA1, and vacA s1c/m1 genes, and reside with multiple strains. These genes do not correlate with the peptic ulcer in the Korean patients.
Adult ; Aged ; Bacterial Proteins/*genetics ; Female ; Genotype ; Helicobacter pylori/*classification/genetics/pathogenicity ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Peptic Ulcer/*etiology/microbiology

Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is a useful treatment for chronic pain, but it can cause damage depending on its application site. Here, we describe the case of a 54-year-old man who underwent PNS for brachial plexopathy in 2015. One lead was implanted on the left medial cord to stimulate the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve, and the other was implanted on the radial nerve to stimulate the posterior antebrachial cutaneous nerve. Both leads were inserted near the shoulder joint but did not cross it. Before PNS, the patient did not move his shoulder and elbow because of severe pain, but the treatment greatly alleviated this pain. Twenty months after the operation, both leads were fractured, and the severe pain returned. Repetitive motion near the joint was closely related to the lead fractures. In conclusion, large joints as the insertion sites of PNS leads should be avoided to prevent lead fractures.
Brachial Plexus Neuropathies* ; Chronic Pain ; Elbow ; Humans ; Joints ; Middle Aged ; Peripheral Nerves* ; Radial Nerve ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Joint

An 84-year-old woman visited our pain clinic with complaints of low back pain and severe radiating pain in the right lower extremity during walking. The patient demonstrated subacute compression fracture of L3 with vacuum change in lumbar spine plain radiographs and MRI which suggest Kummell’s disease. Despite our conservative treatments, she had little back pain relief. Therefore, we planned a percutaneous vertebroplasty. Manual compression could help perform percutaneous vertebroplasty more effectively by expanding the vertebral body. In addition, the spontaneous recovery of vacuum cleft width using negative pressure could help perform the technique more effectively. We successfully performed percutaneous vertebroplasty using these combination therapies for our patient.

Background: Interscalene brachial plexus block (ISB) is a common regional technique to manage acute postoperative pain for arthroscopic rotator cuff tear repair. However, rebound pain may compromise its overall benefit. Our aim was to investigate the primary hypothesis that perineural and intravenous dexamethasone have different effects on rebound pain after resolution of ISB for arthroscopic rotator cuff tear repair. Methods: Patients aged ≥ 20 years scheduled for elective arthroscopic rotator cuff tear repair under general anesthesia with preoperative ISB were included. The participants were randomized to receive dexamethasone either perineurally (perineural group) or intravenously (intravenous group). In the perineural group, patients received ISB with 12 mL of 0.5% ropivacaine containing 5 mg of dexamethasone; simultaneously, 1 mL of 0.9% normal saline was administered intravenously. In the intravenous group, patients received ISB with 12 mL of 0.5% ropivacaine; simultaneously, 1 mL of dexamethasone 5 mg was administered intravenously. The primary outcome was the difference in the pain score (0–10 on numeric rating scale) between before and after ISB resolution. The secondary outcomes were the incidence of rebound pain; onset, duration, and intensity of rebound pain; time to the first analgesic request; and pain-related sleep disturbance. Results: A total of 71 patients were randomized to either perineural group (n = 36) or intravenous group (n = 35). After block resolution, pain scores increased significantly more in the perineural group (mean ± standard deviation, 4.9 ± 2.1) compared to the intravenous group (4.0 ± 1.7, P = 0.043). The duration of ISB was more prolonged in the perineural group (median [interquartile range], 19.9 [17.2–23.1] hours) than the intravenous group (15.1 [13.7–15.9] hours, P < 0.001). The incidence of rebound pain and pain-related sleep disturbance during the first postoperative week was significantly higher in the perineural group than in the intravenous group (rebound pain: 44.4% vs. 20.0%, P = 0.028; sleep disturbance: 55.6% vs. 25.7%, P = 0.011). The duration and intensity of rebound pain were similar between the two groups. Conclusion Although perineural dexamethasone provided longer postoperative analgesia, intravenous dexamethasone was more beneficial in reducing pain increase after ISB resolution, incidence of rebound pain, and pain-related sleep disturbance.

An 84-year-old woman visited our pain clinic with complaints of low back pain and severe radiating pain in the right lower extremity during walking. The patient demonstrated subacute compression fracture of L3 with vacuum change in lumbar spine plain radiographs and MRI which suggest Kummell’s disease. Despite our conservative treatments, she had little back pain relief. Therefore, we planned a percutaneous vertebroplasty. Manual compression could help perform percutaneous vertebroplasty more effectively by expanding the vertebral body. In addition, the spontaneous recovery of vacuum cleft width using negative pressure could help perform the technique more effectively. We successfully performed percutaneous vertebroplasty using these combination therapies for our patient.

We present an uncommon case of hypoesthesia in the posterior and upper third of the superior area on the left ear auricle, after arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder in the lateral position under general anesthesia with ultrasound guided-interscalene brachial plexus block. A 65-year-old man underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair of the left shoulder in the right lateral decubitus position. Two days after operation, he complained of numbness around the left auricle; his symptoms persisted until 6 weeks after surgery. Audiometry and sensory examinations were normal. He recovered naturally by 6 months postoperatively. Postoperative neurological deficits that may not be block-related can be attributed to a combination of factors, such as patient-, anesthesia-, and surgery-related factors, including direct trauma, positioning, and retraction. Anesthesiologists should be aware that the injury may not be block-related and consider other possible causes.
Aged ; Anesthesia, General* ; Arthroscopy* ; Audiometry ; Brachial Plexus Block ; Cervical Plexus* ; Ear Auricle ; Humans ; Hypesthesia* ; Patient Positioning ; Peripheral Nerves ; Rotator Cuff ; Shoulder* ; Ultrasonography*