Magnetic stimulation in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia – a case report

Herpes zoster (shingles) is an acute infectious viral disease that may develop in individuals who have previously had chickenpox. Unlike chickenpox, shingles is more likely to occur in adults, with the risk increasing with age. The paper presents treatment outcomes in a 63-year-old patient with severe thoracic pain persisting for 5 weeks. The treatment included 15 sessions of magnetic stimulation using a low induction variable magnetic field, performed once a day, which allowed to significantly reduce pain, as assessed using the Laitinen Pain Scale. The inclusion of magnetic stimulation as an element of comprehensive therapy also improved the patient’s quality of life, as assessed with EuroQol (a score of 25 before the therapy vs. 65 after the therapy).

Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair for Iatrogenic Injury of the Thoracic Aorta

Purpose: Address iatrogenic injury to the descending thoracic aorta by breached spinal screws through a novel approach of concomitant spinal screw removal and thoracic endovascular repair (TEVAR) placement. Case Report: A 36-year-old female with idiopathic scoliosis underwent T4 to L3 bilateral pedicle instrumentation with spinal fusion and correction of scoliosis deformity. Ten months post-operative, she continued to complain of mid-thoracic pain; computed tomography (CT) angiography revealed protrusion of the left T5 and T6 transpedicular screws into her descending thoracic aorta by 3 and 5 mm, respectively. She was taken to the odds ratio (OR) in a combination case with vascular and neurosurgery. Positioned in the right lateral decubitus position, TEVAR was successfully deployed while neurosurgery concurrently removed the invading spinal screws via posterior spinal exposure. Neurosurgery then completely revised the spinal hardware during the same operation. The patient progressed well throughout the remainder of her hospital stay and was discharged on postoperative day 4. Two-year angiography demonstrated a well-placed TEVAR with no extravasation or aortic abnormality. Conclusions: In the setting of iatrogenic aortic injury due to pedicle screws, concomitant TEVAR and spinal screw removal is a safe and feasible treatment option that allows for spinal reconstruction to occur without multiple trips to the operating room.

308 Sex-related differences in long COVID-19 syndrome

Aims Sex-differences have been demonstrated in the acute phase of COVID-19 infection; females (f) were found to be less prone to develop a severe disease than males (M), but few studies have assessed sex-differences in Long-COVID-19 syndrome. Methods and results The aim of this prospective/retrospective study was to characterize the long-term consequences of this infection from a sex-perspective. For this purpose, we enrolled 223 patients (89 F and 134 M) who experienced a SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the acute phase of the illness, females reported more frequently than males: weakness, dysgeusia, anosmia, thoracic pain, palpitations, diarrhoea, and myalgia without significant differences in breathlessness, cough, and sleep disturbance. After a mean follow-up time of 5 months after the acute phase, females were significantly more likely than males to report weakness, thoracic pain, palpitations, and sleep disturbance but not myalgia and cough. At the multivariate logistic regression, women were statistically significantly likely to experience persistent symptoms such as dyspnoea, fatigue, chest pain, and palpitations. On the contrary, myalgia, cough and sleep disturbance were not influenced by sex. Conclusions We demonstrated that females were more symptomatic than males not only in the acute phase but also at follow-up. Sex was found to be an important determinant of Long-COVID syndrome because it is a significant predictor of persistent symptoms in females, such as dyspnoea, fatigue, chest pain, and palpitations. Our results suggest the need for long-term follow-up of these patients from a sex-perspective in order to implement early preventive and personalized therapeutic strategies.

Peculiarities of clinical manifestations of the new COVID-19 coronavirus infection in patients hospitalized during the epidemic depending on their age

This article presents a review of the literature and data from a personal study concerning the clinical manifestations of new coronavirus infection in patients hospitalized during the COVID-19 epidemic depending on their age. It was found that most patients complained about dry or low-productive cough, moderate general weakness. The patients aged 18–30 years old more frequently experienced no cough. The patients aged 31–40 years old significantly more frequently complained about dry cough (p < 0.05). Low-productive cough was less frequent but typical in all age groups and more frequent in patients aged 51–60 years. Moist cough was more frequent in patients over 60 years. Chest pain was registered in patients over 60 years (p < 0.05). The frequency of dyspnea was found to increase with age. More often dyspnea was registered in patients older than 60 years old. No dyspnea was noted in young patients aged 18–30 years. Half of the patients aged 18–30 years had no fever. At hospitalization, the average temperature was within normal or subfebrile, which predominated in patients aged 41–50 years (p < 0.05). The frequency of febrile fever increased in patients with age. There was no significant difference in the frequency of pyretic temperature among all age groups. The patients aged over 30 years complained more about moderate weakness, and patients aged over 40 years complained more about severe weakness. Younger patients more often complained about a sore throat, while older patients had practically no symptoms (p > 0.05). Thoracic pain was significantly more frequently registered in patients older than 60 years old. Young patients aged 18–30 years and 31–40 years had no chest pain.

Thoracic dumbbell spinal chordoma mimicking a schwannoma

Background: Epidural dumbbell-shaped chordomas are localized slow growing, and malignant/aggressive neoplasms. Here, we present a 62-year-old male with a T3-T4 dumbbell-shaped chordoma and reviewed the appropriate literature. Case Description: A 62-year-old male presented with a three-month history of thoracic pain. When the thoracolumbar magnetic resonance (MR) showed a T3-T4 dumbbell-shaped intracanalicular/extradural tumor, he underwent tumor removal. After the histological examination proved the lesion was a spinal chordoma, he underwent a secondary radical transthoracic tumor resection. Postoperatively, the patient was able to walk without assistance, and at 6-month follow-up, was neurologically intact with only residual paresthesias. Conclusion: Malignant spinal chordomas may mimic benign neurinomas on MR scans. Here, biopsy of the lesion to confirm the diagnosis of chordoma was critical and directed subsequent definitive transthoracic tumor resection.

Concomittan Hyperuricemia and Abcess Mid Thoracic Region: The Use of Dual Energy CT Scan

Dual energy scan was performed to differentiate any collection associated with calsium. Case report. This 23 year old man showed severe hyperuricemia and mid thoracic pain and MRI showed collection over posterior epidural thecal sac over T3 until T9. Dual energy CT scan was performed to assess uric acid crystal over thoracic region. The CT result was negative. He was treated over intravenous antibiotic and pain medication. His pain improved progressively and laboratory results showed towards normal value and he was discharged on day twelveth. Conclusion. This case report showed the comprehensive diagnostic tool to yield out the aetiology of thoracal epidural collection, despite negative result. Keywords: Hyperuricemia, abcess, mid thoracic, dual energy, CT scan

Endothelial dysfunction and hypercoagulability in severe sickle cell acute chest syndrome

RationaleAcute pulmonary hypertension (PH) may develop during sickle-cell acute chest syndrome (ACS), and is associated with an increased mortality. Its mechanisms remain poorly known. The question was to assess if there is an endothelial dysfunction and a hypercoagulability in severe ACS, with and without acute PH.MethodsIn a prospective monocenter cohort follow-up study, all sickle-cell adult patients with ACS admitted to the intensive care unit underwent a trans-thoracic echography (TTE), and measurements of biomarkers of coagulation, endothelial activation, and platelet and erythrocyte activation. Acute PH was defined as a high echocardiographic probability of PH. The biological profiles of sickle-cell patients were analysed at the time of ACS, contrasting the existence of acute PH, and compared with steady state and with non-sickle-cell controls (healthy subjects and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP)).ResultsMost patients (36 patients with 39 ACS episodes; 23 males; 27 years old) had thoracic pain, dyspnea and CT scan lung consolidation. Acute PH was diagnosed in 7 patients (19%). Erythrocyte and platelet-derived microparticles (MPs) and the pro-coagulant activity of MPs were higher in ACS patients with acute PH, as compared with their counterparts. As compared with healthy controls, ACS patients had higher levels of tissue factor, fibrin monomers, D-dimer, release of pro-coagulant microparticles, and erythrocyte and platelet-derived MPs. As compared with CAP patients, ACS patients had increased levels of fibrin monomers, and erythrocyte and platelet-derived MPs.ConclusionsSevere ACS is characterised by endothelial dysfunction and hypercoagulability state, with a marked pro-coagulant profile in case of associated PH.

Quello strano dolore toracico

Myocarditis is a rare pathologic condition in paediatric age. It occurs above all in childhood and adolescence. Generally, it is brought about by a typical association with viral infections that cause a massive activation of the inflammatory cascade accountable for the damage in the myocardial tissue. Onset symptoms are not specific and do not often appear to be of cardiac origin, mostly in the youngest children. On the contrary, during adolescence, thoracic pain is likely to be present in the clinical scenario as in the reported case. Laboratory tests, electrocardiography and transthoracic echocardiography can help focus the clinical picture and especially cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is becoming a useful non-invasive investigative method. In contrast endomyocardial biopsy along with histoimmunological analysis is less used given its invasiveness and possible complications. The role of paediatricians is to recognize the patient at risk and promptly address them to the most appropriate diagnostic-therapeutic pathway.

Manual medicine, manual therapy

Manual medicine is the medical discipline that deals with diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of reversible functional disturbances in the locomotor system and other related organ systems. The current article illustrates neuroanatomical and neurophysiological fundamentals of the mechanisms of manual diagnostics and treatment. Based on the recent literature and consideration of different scientifically based clinical guidelines, the evidence-based effectiveness of manual therapeutic procedures is presented. Acute and chronic low back pain, cervicogenic headache, neck and shoulder pain, radicular arm pain, dysfunctional thoracic pain syndromes, diseases of the rotator cuff, carpal tunnel syndrome, and plantar fasciitis are included. Clinical case studies illustrate the clinical procedures. The term, the origin, and the clinical presence of “osteopathy” are addressed in detail, and the national and international societies of manual medicine (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Manuelle Medizin [DGMM], European Scientific Society of Manual Medicine [ESSOMM], Fédération Internationale de Medicine Manuelle [FIMM]) are portrayed lexically. Finally, contraindications to manual intervention are presented and an outlook on the requirements and possibilities of scientific pain analysis is given in accordance with the preamble of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Orthopädische Chirurgie (GSOOC) guidelines on specific low back pain.