PURPOSE: We report the differences of the clinical outcome of various types of plantar fasciitis patients who were treated with conservative methods, and their sonographic findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 37 patients, 50 cases with the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis were available for review. The average age was 47.5 years (range: 22-78) and the average follow-up period was 15.8 months (range: 4-23) . Both feet of 30 plantar fasciitis patients and those of 30 healthy volunteers were evaluated with ultrasound. We treated the patients with stretching of Achilles tendon and plantar fascia, rest, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, inserts and night splint. RESULTS: Clinical results were classified as good (resolution of symptoms) for 59.5%, fair (continued symptoms but no limitation of activity or work) for 35.1%, and poor (continued symptoms limiting activity or changing work status) for 5.4%. Plantar fascia thickness was significantly greater in the heels of patients with plantar fasciitis (range: 3.2-8.0 mm, average: 5.1 mm, SD: 1.12) than in their asymptomatic heels (range: 1.3-5.0 mm, average: 3.5 mm, SD: 0.78) and in the control group (range: 1.8-5.0 mm, average: 3.0 mm, SD: 0.71) (p< 0.0001) . CONCLUSION: In plantar fasciitis, sonography demonstrates that the fascia is thicker as well as hypoechoic. And there is a higher risk for continued symptoms in patients with bilateral symptoms and those who have symptoms for a prolonged period before seeking medical attention. Therefore plantar fasciitis is thought that it should be vigorously treated as soon as possible before the permanent change of plantar fascia.
Achilles Tendon ; Diagnosis ; Fascia ; Fasciitis, Plantar* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foot ; Healthy Volunteers ; Heel ; Humans ; Splints ; Ultrasonography*

Objective: To investigate variations in the effects of prehospital advanced airway management (AAM) on outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients according to regional emergency medical service (EMS) systems in four Asian cities. Methods: We enrolled adult patients with EMS-treated OHCA of presumed cardiac origin between 2012 and 2014 from Osaka (Japan), Seoul (Republic of Korea), Singapore (Singapore), and Taipei (Taiwan). The main exposure variable was prehospital AAM. The primary endpoint was neurological recovery. We compared outcomes between the prehospital AAM and non-AAM groups using multivariable logistic regression with an interaction term between prehospital AAM and the four Asian cities. Results: A total of 16,510 patients were included in the final analyses. The rates of prehospital AAM varied among Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, and Taipei (65.0%, 19.2%, 84.9%, and 34.1%, respectively). The non-AAM group showed better outcomes than the AAM group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] for neurological recovery 0.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.24–0.38]). In the interaction model for neurological recovery, the aORs for AAM in Osaka and Singapore were 0.12 (95% CI, 0.06–0.26) and 0.21 (95% CI, 0.16–0.28), respectively. In Seoul and Taipei, the association between prehospital AAM and neurological recovery was not significant (aOR 0.58 [95% CI, 0.31–1.10] and 0.79 [95% CI, 0.52–1.20], respectively). The interaction between prehospital AAM and region was significant (P=0.01). Conclusion The effects of prehospital AAM on outcomes of OHCA patients differed according to regional variability in the EMS systems.