Neurogenic heterotopic ossification is a condition whereby bone forms in an extra-skeletal site. It may occur in the context of major neurological insult involving the brain or spinal cord. It causes pain and restricts movement, most commonly at the hip joints.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSialorrhoea as a consequence of severe acquired brain injury can significantly negatively impact on quality of life. Medications used in its management have many side effects which can cause problems in the severely disabled. Botulinum toxin is an effective treatment of sialorrhoea in a number of neurological conditions but may also have a role to play in the management of sialorrhoea following severe ABI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe authors present the case of an amateur under-18 international squad Rugby Union player who sustained a Grade III splenic rupture while scoring a try. He was admitted to hospital and treated with strict bedrest following initial computed tomography (CT) evaluation. He maintained hemodynamic stability throughout and registered no drop in hemoglobin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObesity is a global epidemic, responsible for 2000 premature deaths in Ireland each year. The extent of this epidemic was quantified by the National Taskforce on Obesity (IOTF), whose report, published in 2005, found that 39% of adults in Ireland were overweight and 18% obese with obesity in adults predicted to increase by 1% per year. In light of the clear evidence that we, as a nation, are quite literally expanding, how well equipped are Irish hospitals and, in particular, radiology departments, to deal with patients of increasing size and weight? The purpose of this study was to quantify the weight limits and girth restrictions of the radiology equipment, in particular CT, MRI and fluoroscopy, in hospitals, both public and private, in Ireland in an attempt to answer this question.
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