Case: The patient was a man in his 40s who had undergone proctocolectomy for familial polyposis coli and extensive resection of the small intestine for removal of an intra-abdominal desmoid tumor. He presented to our hospital with abdominal pain caused by residual desmoid tumor, and diarrhea associated with the short bowel syndrome. Adequate pain control could not be achieved even with simultaneous application of 5 sheets of 100 μg/h transdermal fentanyl patches. Subsequently, the patient was treated mainly with 270 mg/day of a slow-release morphine preparation; however, the pain control remained unsatisfactory. At our hospital, the pain treatment was switched to 240 mg/day of morphine solution, which yielded prompt reduction of the pain intensity from 9/10 to 1/10 on the numerical rating scale. Discussion: Morphine is mainly absorbed from the small intestine. The initially insufficient pain control in this patient may have been attributable to the short bowel syndrome and diarrhea causing rapid excretion of the morphine before it was absorbed. Morphine solution, in contrast, starts to be absorbed approximately 10 minutes after administration, allowing adequate absorption, leading to successful pain control, even in the present patient with the short bowel syndrome.

Objective: Spinal cord compression symptoms are complications that greatly reduce the quality of life of cancer patients. We report a retrospective study on the efficacy of and adverse reactions to high-dose dexamethasone therapy for patients with concomitant spinal cord compression symptoms. Subjects: This study included 8 patients with concomitant spinal cord compression symptoms who received high-dose dexamethasone therapy at our hospital between May 2009 and September 2011. Results: Only high-dose dexamethasone therapy was performed in 8 patients who could not undergo radiotherapy or surgery in combination. Among them, the results of manual muscle testing were improved in 4 patients (50.0%), and grades according to the modified Frankel Classification showed improvement in 5 patients (62.5%). Out of 7 non-ambulatory patients, one (14.3%) regained independent ambulation with highdose dexamethasone therapy alone and was discharged home. No serious adverse reactions were observed in any of the 8 patients. Discussion: This study suggested high-dose dexamethasone therapy to possibly be a useful option for relieving neurological symptoms in patients with spinal cord compression who cannot undergo radiotherapy or surgery in combination.

Methods: Cases of 50 patients with ASD who underwent long spinal fusion (>9 levels) with S2AI screws were retrospectively reviewed. Loosening of S2AI screws and S1 pedicle screws and bone fusion at the level of L5–S1 at 2 years after surgery were investigated using computed tomography. In addition, risk factors for loosening of S2AI screws were determined in patients with ASD. Results: At 2 years after surgery, 33 cases (66%) of S2AI screw loosening and six cases (12%) of S1 pedicle screw loosening were observed. In 40 of 47 cases (85%), bone fusion at L5–S1 was found. Pseudarthrosis at L5–S1 was not significantly associated with S2AI screw loosening (19.3% vs. 6.3%, p=0.23), but significantly higher in patients with S1 screw loosening (83.3% vs. 4.9%, p<0.001). On multivariate logistic regression analyses, high upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) level (T5 or above) (odds ratio [OR], 4.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0–18.6; p=0.045) and obesity (OR, 11.4; 95% CI, 1.2–107.2; p=0.033) were independent risk factors for S2AI screw loosening. Conclusions High UIV level (T5 or above) and obesity were independent risk factors for S2AI screw loosening in patients with lumbosacral fixation in surgery for ASD. The incidence of lumbosacral fusion is associated with S1 screw loosening, but not S2AI screw loosening.

Dynamic knee valgus is considered a risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. This study identified how knee in distance (KID) and hip out distance (HOD) affect one’s lateral trunk lean (LTL). The results were also tested for reliability. Fifteen female basketball players (30 legs) from a university participated in this study. The participants performed single-leg squats by bending the knee of the supporting leg to 60°. The trials were recorded using a video camera. The KID, HOD, and LTL were measured with two-dimensional images using the Dartfish software, which measured the maximal knee valgus. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to measure the correlation between dynamic knee valgus (KID and HOD) and LTL. Additionally, the Interclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was used to measure the reliability of the KID, HOD, and LTL data sets. The statistical significance was established at a level of p<0.05. Results showed that the KID and LTL had a significantly negative correlation, measured at r=-0.227, p<0.05. The ICC (2.1) values were: 0.83 for HOD, 0.99 for KID, and 0.96 for LTL; while the ICC (1.2) values were: 0.86 for HOD, 0.83 for KID, and 0.85 for LTL. The two-dimensional analysis technique revealed that the values were highly reliable. In sum, dynamic knee valgus had a negative correlation with LTL during single-leg squats. Therefore, it was suggested that the factors of dynamic knee valgus might be evaluated using LTL on two-dimensional screening test.