1.Transforaminal Percutaneous Endoscopic Discectomy in Parkinson Disease: Preliminary Results and Short Review of the Literature.
Stylianos KAPETANAKIS ; Eirini GIOVANNOPOULOU ; Triphonas THOMAIDIS ; George CHARITOUDIS ; Pavlos PAVLIDIS ; Konstantinos KAZAKOS
Korean Journal of Spine 2016;13(3):144-150
OBJECTIVE: To study the effectiveness of Transforaminal Percutaneous Endoscopic Discectomy (TPED) for lumbar disc herniation in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). METHODS: Fifteen patients diagnosed with PD and lumbar disc hernia were recruited to the study. All patients underwent TPED. Mean age was 61.27±6 years, with 8 male (53.3%) and 7 female patients (46.7%). Level of operation was L3-4 (33.3%), L4-5 (33.3%) and L5-S1 (33.3%). Visual analogue scale (VAS) for leg pain and Oswestry Disabillity Index (ODI) for back pain, as well as the Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were assessed right before surgery and at 6 weeks, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. RESULTS: VAS and ODI showed significant (p<0.005) reduction one year after TPED, with a percentage improvement of 83.9% and 79.4%, respectively. Similarly, all aspects of quality of life (SF-36) were significantly (p<0.005) improved 1 year after the procedure. Bodily pain and role physical demonstrated the highest increase followed by role emotional, physical function, social function, vitality, mental health, and general health. Beneficial impact of TPED on clinical outcome and HRQoL was independent of gender and operated level. CONCLUSION: TPED is effective in reducing lower limb symptoms and low back pain in patients with lumbar disc hernia, suffering from PD. Positive effect of endoscopy is, also, evident in HRQoL of those patients one year after the procedure.
Back Pain
;
Diskectomy*
;
Diskectomy, Percutaneous
;
Endoscopy
;
Female
;
Health Surveys
;
Hernia
;
Humans
;
Leg
;
Low Back Pain
;
Lower Extremity
;
Male
;
Mental Health
;
Parkinson Disease*
;
Quality of Life
2.Fatal accident due to anti-personnel ARGES EM01 rifle grenade explosion.
Pavlos PAVLIDIS ; Valeria KARAKASI ; Theodossios-A BIRBILIS
Chinese Journal of Traumatology 2016;19(3):136-138
During the process of unsealing an old ammunition box in order to destroy it, a 42-year-old ammunition technician was fatally injured due to an anti-personnel ARGES EM01-type rifle grenade detonation. The explosion took place in the victim's hands, in point-blank range. This report aimed to show the anatomical position, the severity and the dispersion extent of the multiple injuries in the human body due to the detonation, and draw firm conclusions regarding the position of the human body and the circumstances prevailing at the moment of the explosion.
Accidents
;
Adult
;
Blast Injuries
;
etiology
;
Explosions
;
Fatal Outcome
;
Humans
;
Male
3.Does Nationality Matter for the Gunshot Brain Injury? Ten-Year Retrospective Observational Cadaveric Comparative Study for Gunshot TBI between Greece and Bulgaria
Alexandrina S NIKOVA ; Maria Valeria KARAKASI ; Pavlos PAVLIDIS ; Theodossios BIRBILIS ; Ivaylo DIMITROV
Korean Journal of Neurotrauma 2019;15(2):95-102
OBJECTIVE: Penetrating brain trauma (PBT) caused by gunshot is one of the most lethal traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and its management and confrontation is of great importance. METHODS: The authors searched retrospectively the archives from 2 similar autonomous laboratories of forensic science and toxicology in the Balkan peninsula for a 10-year period of time and included only fatal penetrating brain injuries. RESULTS: The study is conducted in 61 cadavers with gunshot PBT. All of the cadavers were victims of suicide attempt. The most common anatomical localization on the skull were the facial bones, followed by skull base, temporal and parietal bone, conducting a trajectory of the gunshot. Additional findings were atherosclerosis of the blood vessels and chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer and fatty liver. CONCLUSION: PBI has a high mortality rate. There are factors and findings from the collected data differing between the 2 aforementioned nations. Either way, better preventative measures, gun control and healthcare system are highly necessary.
Atherosclerosis
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Balkan Peninsula
;
Blood Vessels
;
Brain Injuries
;
Brain
;
Bulgaria
;
Cadaver
;
Chronic Disease
;
Delivery of Health Care
;
Ethnic Groups
;
Facial Bones
;
Fatty Liver
;
Forensic Sciences
;
Greece
;
Head Injuries, Penetrating
;
Humans
;
Mortality
;
Parietal Bone
;
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Skull
;
Skull Base
;
Suicide
;
Toxicology
;
Wounds, Gunshot
4.Anatomical Localization of Traumatic Brain Injury Cases in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece: a 10-year Retrospective Observational Study
Maria-Valeria KARAKASI ; Alexandrina S. NIKOVA ; Christina VALSAMIDOU ; Pavlos PAVLIDIS ; Theodossios A. BIRBILIS
Korean Journal of Neurotrauma 2020;16(1):38-48
Objective:
Brain trauma is an extremely important economical and social issue with increasing daily incidence. It is important to observe and report brain trauma, in order to provide better conditions for improvement of the trauma prevention and management.
Methods:
A ten-year retrospective observational analysis was performed on 292 (fatal and non-fatal) incidents of traumatic brain injury among 2,847 totally examined cases in the records of the laboratory of forensic sciences at Democritus University of Thrace between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2016. The results were further analyzed and classified into pertinent categories associated with the purpose of the study.
Results:
The average age was estimated at 47.24 years with an obvious male domination.The most common cause of TBI, according to the results, is transport accidents (61.85%) followed by trauma inflicted by blunt instrument (22.49%), fall from height (11.65%) and occupational accidents (4.02%). Mortality rates were evaluated for each type, revealing extremely disturbing numbers. Regarding the anatomical localization on the skull, the most common region of cranial fractures is the cranial base (16.48%), followed by the frontal (12.87%), occipital (11.29%) and parietal bones (11.06%). In the majority of the cases, there were associated injuries.
Conclusion
The management of traumatic brain injuries is difficult and sometimes impossible. Better prevention measures are required to minimize as much as possible the incidence of brain trauma.
5.Death due to fracture of thin calvarial bones after a fall: A forensic approach.
Georgios SIOUTAS ; Maria-Valeria KARAKASI ; Stylianos KAPETANAKIS ; Pavlos PAVLIDIS
Chinese Journal of Traumatology 2017;20(3):180-182
A 45-year-old male was autopsied. He had fallen backwards from a two-stairs height to the ground and passed away. A skull fracture was detected in the left occipital area, extending up to the left side of the skull base. The patient's death occurred due to the very low thickness of the calvarial bones, which led to the aforementioned fracture, and in turn resulted in subarachnoid hemorrhage and death. The cortical thickness was measured and compared with average values at standardized points. Uniform bone thinning was confirmed rather than localized. Calvarial thinning may result from various conditions. In the present case study, however, the exact mechanism which led to the low thickness of the calvarial bones of the patient is undetermined. Death due to the susceptible structure and fracture of calvarial bones has rarely been reported throughout relevant literature.