Thalassaemia intermedia presenting with compressive myelopathy: a case report.

Extramedullary haematopoiesis leading to spinal cord compression is a rare complication of thalassaemia. An interesting case has been reported where a diagnosis of thalassaemia intermedia was made at the age of 35 years in a male patient with no history of blood transfusion, who presented with compressive myelopathy caused by extramedullary haematopoietic tissue in epidural space. The patient recovered after surgical decompression.

Enhancement of the fixation of pyrolytic carbon implants by using atomic oxygen texturing.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect on the biocompatibility and biologic fixation of atomic oxygen-textured pyrolytic carbon. The implants consisted of unalloyed pyrolytic carbon rods, with half the length of the rod textured by atomic oxygen, and the other half retaining the as-deposited surface that normally occurs during the manufacturing process. The rods were implanted transcortically across the distal portion of the femurs of 6 adult male rabbits for 8 weeks.