Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial for neurological recovery after surgery for metastatic spinal cord compression in prostate cancer.

Background: Spinal cord compression is an oncological and surgical emergency. Delays in referral and diagnosis may influence functional outcome. It is therefore important to identify patients who will regain or maintain the ability to walk after surgery.

Predicting survival for surgery of metastatic spinal cord compression in prostate cancer: a new score.

Study Design: We retrospectively analyzed prognostic factors for survival in patients with prostate cancer operated for metastatic spinal cord compression.

Objective: The aim was to obtain a clinical score for prediction of survival after surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Survival prognosis is important when deciding about treatment of patients with metastatic spinal cord compression.

Outcome after surgery for metastatic spinal cord compression in 54 patients with prostate cancer.

Background And Purpose: The criteria for selecting patients who may benefit from surgery of spinal cord compression in metastatic prostate cancer are poorly defined. We therefore studied patients operated for metastatic spinal cord compression in order to evaluate outcome of surgery and to find predictors of survival.

Patients And Methods: We reviewed the records of 54 consecutive patients with metastatic prostate cancer who were operated for spinal cord compression at Umeå University Hospital.

Low back pain, lifestyle factors and physical activity: a population based-study.

Objective And Design: The prevalence of low back pain was assessed in relation to physical activity, for both work and leisure activities, in a randomly selected population in the northern part of Sweden. Additionally, the associations between age, sex, level of education, lifestyle factors, demographic characteristics, and low back pain were evaluated.

Subjects: A total of 5798 subjects aged 25-79 years were selected randomly from a geographically well-defined area in northern Sweden.

Gender differences in lumbar disc herniation surgery.

Background And Purpose: Although there have been numerous publications on lumbar disc herniation (LDH) treated surgically, there has been little interest in sex differences. It has been shown in many studies that sex differences may be important in certain diseases. We therefore reviewed consecutive register material from one institution for possible gender differences in pre- and postoperative parameters in patients operated for lumbar disc herniation.

Altered cerebral blood flow in chronic neck pain patients but not in whiplash patients: a 99mTc-HMPAO rCBF study.

A cross-sectional study to investigate regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with chronic whiplash syndrome and chronic neck pain patients without previous history of trauma along with a healthy control group. Chronic neck pain is a common disorder and a history of cervical spine injury including whiplash trauma constitute a risk factor for persistent neck pain. The aetiology of the late whiplash syndrome is unknown with no specific diagnostic criteria based on imaging, physiological, or psychological examination.

Chronic low back pain in individuals with chronic neck pain of traumatic and non-traumatic origin: a population-based study.

Background: It is unclear whether the prevalence of chronic low back pain is higher in chronic whiplash patients than in the general population. In a population-based study, we evaluated the prevalence of chronic low back pain in individuals with chronic neck pain of traumatic and non-traumatic origin, with special emphasis on whiplash injury.

Subjects And Methods: Additional questions concerning the patient's experience of neck and low back pain were added to the questionnaire of the MONICA health survey.

Neuropsychological functioning and MMPI-2 profiles in chronic neck pain: a comparison of whiplash and non-traumatic groups.

We measured the neuropsychological functioning in 42 patients with chronic neck pain, 21 with a whiplash trauma and 21 without previous trauma. Subjectively, the whiplash group was more forgetful and had more concentration difficulties compared with the non-traumatic group. The neuropsychological tests did not reveal any differences between the two groups and a reference group of healthy individuals.

Temperament and character: prognostic factors in whiplash patients?

We studied the relationship between whiplash injury and personality in 40 whiplash patients who admitted the hospital within 8 h from the car accident and 80 age- and gender-matched controls. For this purpose we used the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). We found that personality dimensions in whiplash patients both in the acute phase and at follow-up 2 years later showed the same results, i.

Chronic neck pain of traumatic and non-traumatic origin: a population-based study.

Chronic neck pain is a common cause of disability. The effect of neck trauma on the development of chronic neck pain has been debated. In this population-based study, 8,356 persons (25-79 years) were randomly selected from a geographically well-defined area in northern Sweden.

Nervous tissue damage markers in cerebrospinal fluid after cervical spine injuries and whiplash trauma.

Clinical examination is the only tool available to assess the extent of the nerve tissue damage after a spinal cord injury, and it is well known that the reliability of classification based on clinical examination is not satisfactory, especially in cases with incomplete motor injuries. There is a need to evaluate new methods in order to improve the possibilities of classifying and prognosticating spinal cord injuries. Methods for assessing central nervous system (CNS) damage using markers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have recently been developed.

The incidence of whiplash trauma and the effects of different factors on recovery.

We performed a prospective study of patients with a whiplash trauma to the cervical spine to describe the incidence of these injuries and to evaluate prognostic factors for disability and recovery. A total of 356 patients were enrolled in the study. All the patients received a comprehensive questionnaire after the injury, and 296 cases responded to the follow-up protocol more than 1 year after the accident.

The prevalence of neck pain: a population-based study from northern Sweden.

The two northernmost counties in Sweden form together 1 of the 39 collaborating centers in the World Health Organization (WHO) MONICA (MONItoring of trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease) project. At the last survey in 1999, we added some questions about cervical spine complaints. Persons randomly selected from the population in a geographically well-defined area completed a self-administered questionnaire.

Eye motility and auditory brainstem response dysfunction after whiplash injury.

The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of brain/brainstem dysfunction after acute whiplash trauma (grades II and III according to the Quebec Task Force Classification on whiplash-associated disorders) and to investigate a possible correlation between the development of chronic symptoms and objective findings from auditory brainstem response (ABR) and eye motility tests. We used ABR and oculomotor tests and a thorough clinical, subjective and psychological evaluation in a sample of prospective whiplash trauma patients who were followed up for 2 years after the trauma. The initial test results did not reveal any prognostic clinical signs for the tested group as a whole, but we could discriminate some patients with clinical symptoms and signs paired with pathologic test results.

Prospective study of trigeminal sensibility after whiplash trauma.

Trigeminal sensory impairment is frequent in whiplash cases. The pathophysiology is unknown. The purpose of the present investigation was to prospectively study the trigeminal sensibility for temperature and vibration and to evaluate their relationship with the clinical symptoms.

Posterior stabilization of the cervical spine with hooks and screws. A clinical evaluation of 26 patients with traumatic, degenerative or metastatic lesions, using a new implant system.

We operated on 26 patients with cervical spine disorders (13 with traumatic lesions, 3 with spinal stenosis and myelopathy, 1 with osteomyelitis and 9 with metastasis) with posterior stabilization. A new implant system (Cervi-Fix) based on rods, enabling a choice of either screw or laminar hook fixation in a free combination, was used. The system was evaluated for ease of use, for safety, regarding complications related to the system, and for efficacy, regarding loss of correction and signs of instability.

Oculomotor dysfunction in rheumatoid patients with upper cervical dislocation.

Several studies of patients with chronic cervical pain and chronic whiplash syndrome report a high frequency of oculomotor function derangements pointing towards brainstem involvement and/or default sensory input from neck afferents. In light of these reports, it seems important to investigate other patient groups with similar upper cervical spine disorders. In this study, voluntary eye motor performance was evaluated in 11 rheumatoid patients (RA) with upper cervical dislocation and a clearly noticed joint affection of the cervical spine.

Treatment of deep cartilage defects of the patella with periosteal transplantation.

Twenty-six consecutive patients (19 men and 7 women) with a mean age of 31.5 years (range 19-52 years) who suffered from an isolated full-thickness cartilage defect of the patella (area ranged from 0.75 to 20.

Disc pathology after whiplash injury. A prospective magnetic resonance imaging and clinical investigation.

Study Design: This study was used to evaluate the relationship between magnetic resonance imaging findings and clinical findings after whiplash injury.

Objectives: To identify initial soft-tissue damage after whiplash injury, the development of disc pathology, and the relationship of disc pathology to clinical findings.

Summary Of Background Data: Although a few studies have reported pathological magnetic resonance imaging findings after whiplash injuries, there is no prospective study published to our knowledge.

Late vascular complication after fracture of the proximal humerus.

A case of late vascular complication after a fracture of the proximal humerus is presented. The main clinical feature was neurological loss of the brachial plexus, while angiography showed no rupture or false aneurysm. The long delay before surgical intervention caused irreversible damage to the nerves.

Decreased width of the spinal canal in patients with chronic symptoms after whiplash injury.

Study Design: The sagittal diameter of the cervical spinal canal was measured on standard lateral radiographs of 48 consecutive patients with acute whiplash injury. A follow-up was done 12 months after injury.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between spinal canal width and chronic symptoms after whiplash injury.

MRI and neurology in acute whiplash trauma. No correlation in prospective examination of 39 cases.

39 consecutive cases of whiplash injury of the neck were examined clinically and with MRI at a mean of 11 days after trauma. 26 of these showed changes on MRI with disc lesions in 25, 10 of which were classified as disc herniations, and a muscle lesion in 1 case. All had neck pain or headache.

Surgery for chronic symptoms after whiplash injury. Follow-up of 20 cases.

20 patients operated on with discectomy and anterior cervical fusion because of chronic symptoms after whiplash injury were examined 4 years after surgery. The commonest indications for surgery were disabling headache and neck pain and radiographically verified disc protrusion. At follow-up, 11 patients had reduced headache and neck pain, while paresthesia and radicular pain were diminished in 9 patients.

Early complications after anterior dislocation of the shoulder in patients over 40 years. An ultrasonographic and electromyographic study.

The rate of complications after anterior dislocation of the shoulder was evaluated in 65 patients aged over 40 years. 36 of 55 cases had electromyographically verified axillary nerve or brachial plexus injury. Rotator-cuff lesion was seen in 24 of the 63 sonographically examined cases.