Medicine
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Crossed cerebellar diaschisis (CCD) is a poor prognostic factor after stroke because without immediate cerebral reperfusion no further improvements in the patient's condition can be achieved. We investigated the clinical effects of intravascular laser irradiation therapy (ILIB) on CCD and evaluated the therapeutic effect in the sub-acute post-stroke stage. ⋯ We found that ILIB helped eliminate CCD, which was previously shown to be an untreatable condition using any intervention during the sub-acute post-stroke stage. Stroke patients could therefore greatly benefit from ILIB.
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Review Meta Analysis
Is prophylactic tranexamic acid administration effective and safe for postpartum hemorrhage prevention?: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
To assess the efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid (TA) in reducing blood loss and lowering transfusion needs for patients undergoing caesarean section (CS) or vaginal delivery (VD). ⋯ Our findings indicated that intravenous TA for patients undergoing CS was effective and safe. Although prophylactic TA administration is associated with reduced PPH, current existing data are insufficient to draw definitive recommendations about its clinical significance due to the poor to moderate quality of the included literatures. Thus, high-quality randomized controlled trials with larger samples are needed to validate our findings.
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Review Meta Analysis
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy in osteonecrosis of femoral head: A systematic review of now available clinical evidences.
Osteonecrosis is an incapacitating disorder with high morbidity. Though extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) provides a noninvasive treatment option, controversial subjects still exist about its effectiveness, indications, and mechanism of action. ⋯ By systematically analyzing these evidences, we could conclude that ESWT could act as a safe and effective method to improve the motor function and relieve the pain of patients with osteonecrosis of femoral hip, especially those at early stage. Imaging revealed that bone marrow edema was significantly relieved, but the necrotic bone could not be reversed after ESWT. This technique could slow or even block the progression of ONFH and therefore reduce the demand for surgery. Collaboration with other conservative modalities would not improve the curative benefits of ESWT. Meanwhile, ONFH with various risk factors showed similar reaction to this noninvasive treatment method. However, these conclusions should be interpreted carefully for the low-quality of included publications and further studies are requisite to validate the effect of ESWT in ONFH.
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Observational Study
Risk factors for recollapse of the augmented vertebrae after percutaneous vertebroplasty for osteoporotic vertebral fractures with intravertebral vacuum cleft.
To determine risk factors related to recollapse of the augmented vertebrae after percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) with intravertebral vacuum cleft (IVC). Fifty-two patients treated with PVP for single OVCFs with the IVC were retrospectively reviewed. The follow-up period was at least 2 years. ⋯ No significant difference was found in other clinical and radiological factors (P > 0.05). Cleft filling pattern of PMMA and higher values of reduction angle may play an important role in inducing recollapse of the augmented vertebrae after PVP for OVCFs with the IVC. Careful observation of patients with these conditions is necessary to prevent deterioration of their clinical course.
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Review Case Reports
Primary cerebral malignant melanoma: A case report with literature review.
Primary intracranial melanomas are uncommon and constitute approximately 1% of all melanoma cases and 0.07% of all brain tumors. In nature, these primary melanomas are very aggressive and can spread to other organs. We report an uncommon case of primary cerebral malignant melanoma-a challenging diagnosis guided by clinical presentations, radiological features, and surgical biopsy results, aiming to emphasize the importance of considering primary melanoma when making differential diagnoses of intracranial lesions. ⋯ The patient was discharged without any complications and went on to receive adjuvant radiochemotherapy. It is difficult to diagnose primary cerebral melanoma in the absence of any cutaneous melanosis. A high index of clinical suspicion along with good pathology reporting is the key in diagnosing these extremely rare tumors.