Publications by authors named "Kenan Akgun"

Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) is a common cause of hip pain and is often associated with chronic lower back pain and lower extremity osteoarthritis. Its diagnosis is clinical; however, imaging has been shown to aid in the differential diagnosis of challenging cases. Superb microvascular imaging (SMI) is a new technique that may be more effective than power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS) in the detection of inflammation-related vascularity in patients.

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Examination of monosodium urate crystals in the synovial fluid remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of gout. On ultra-sound (US) examination, the double contour sign (DCS) is one of the most common imaging findings of gout. In this article, we present, for the first time, a unique imaging finding mimicking DCS after US-guided intra-articular knee injection of steroid and discuss it in light of the literature data.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated how ultrasonographic assessment of enthesitis impacts disease activity, functionality, and quality of life in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA).
  • Ninety patients were evaluated using various clinical indices and both clinical and ultrasonographic methods to assess enthesitis, revealing that ultrasound identified more cases than clinical exams alone.
  • The results showed a weak correlation between ultrasonographic scores and some clinical measures, but a moderate connection with inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein, indicating ultrasonography's effectiveness in detecting inflammation in SpA patients.
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Introduction: To determine the frequency of superior cluneal nerve entrapment (SCN-E) in patients who applied to our outpatient clinic with low back pain.

Methods: Two hundred patients with mechanical low back pain persisting more than 3 months were included in our study. All patients were evaluated with detailed clinical history and physical examination.

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Background: Although loss of muscle mass may be associated with general weakness, intolerance to physical activity and fatigue, it is underestimated and poorly understood in patients with sarcoidosis.

Aim: To compare the quadriceps femoris muscle (QFM) thickness measured by ultrasonography (US) between the female patients with sarcoidosis and controls, secondly to assess the correlation between the muscle strength, fatigue and QFM thickness.

Design: Observational, case-control study.

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Objectives: This study aimed to clinically and ultrasonographically evaluate enthesitis in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) and to determine enthesitis response to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-one SpA patients (22 males, 9 females; mean age: 39.4±10.

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Introduction/aims: Ulnar nerve instability (UNI) in the retroepicondylar groove is described as nerve subluxation or dislocation. In this study, considering that instability may cause chronic ulnar nerve damage by increasing the friction risk, we aimed to examine the effects of UNI on nerve morphology ultrasonographically.

Methods: Asymptomatic patients with clinical suspicion of UNI were referred for further clinical and ultrasonographic examination.

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Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the nail units of patients with axial spondyloarthritis (ax-SpA) using ultrasound and to identify any subclinical changes. We also aimed to examine the relationship between clinical enthesitis scores and nail involvement in patients with ax-SpA.

Methods: The study included 40 patients with ax-Spa, 40 patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and 40 healthy controls.

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Local glucocorticoid injections are used in the treatment of isolated sacroiliitis in patients with spondyloarthritis. Sacroiliac joint injections can be performed intraarticularly or periarticularly. Since the accuracy of blind injections is low, fluoroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, or ultrasonography guidance are used to increase the accuracy of sacroiliac joint injections.

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Background: Blockade of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) with local anesthetic (LA) has therapeutic role as well as diagnostic value for meralgia paresthetica (MP). The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided LA and LA + CS injections in the treatment of MP.

Methods: This was a prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled study.

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Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain is one of the leading causes of mechanical low back pain. Treatment includes conservative methods, surgery, and radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTC) as a novel therapeutic approach. Herein, we present a 71-year-old female patient who was first admitted to the outpatient clinic about four years ago.

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Neurofibroma, a benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor, represents a rare cause of posterior interosseous nerve syndrome. Electrodiagnostic studies may not identify the exact site of nerve compression, a possible lesion that compresses the nerve and do not provide information about the morphological changes. Ultrasound is a cost-effective, practical modality that provides the opportunity for dynamic tracking in the peripheral nerves, and it is widely considered as the initial imaging modality for peripheral nerves.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore how patients with spondylarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) adjusted their medical treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic while using biological drugs.
  • A total of 277 patients were surveyed, revealing that over half continued their treatment as usual, but a significant portion made changes, primarily influenced by their experience with intravenous therapies and disease activity.
  • Outcomes indicated that many patients faced increased symptoms due to treatment adjustments, highlighting the complexities of managing chronic conditions during health crises.
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  • Thoracic outlet syndrome involves pain, tingling, weakness, and vascular symptoms due to compression of nerves and blood vessels in specific areas of the thoracic outlet.
  • The main compression sites are the retropectoralis minor space, costoclavicular space, and interscalene triangle, which can make it hard to identify the exact location and appropriate treatment.
  • A case study of a 49-year-old woman shows she was initially diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome but found to have pectoralis minor syndrome, allowing her to be treated effectively with conservative methods instead of surgery.
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Objectives: In this study, we aimed to compare the Maastricht Ankylosing Spondylitis Enthesitis Score (MASES) values of patients with axial spondyloarthritis (ax-SpA) with and without coccydynia.

Methods: We included 42 cases between the ages of 18 to 65 that were admitted to our clinic between August 1, 2019 and April 20, 2020 with the diagnosis of ax-SpA. The first group consisted of 13 patients with coccydynia and the second group consisted of 29 patients without coccydynia.

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In these days of the pandemic, we have faced with the locomotor system problems following severe acute respiratory syndrome-coro- navirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. While some of these problems are related to the disease itself, some of them are associated with the prolonged immobilization during the infection. Long-term intensive care unit admissions of patients may also lead to various types of neuropathies, extending the recovery period.

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Background: The aim of this cadaveric study was to investigate the erector spinae plane block (ESPB) in lumbar region and to elucidate the possible mechanisms of action of these injections in lumbar radicular pain by means of detecting expected dye dispersion to the neural structures.

Methods: Ultrasound-guided lumbar ESPB was performed in three formaldehyde-embalmed human cadavers. For this purpose, a 10 mL of methylene blue was injected into the fascial space between the L4 transverse process and the erector spinae muscles.

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  • The study aimed to understand how the thickness of hand muscles measured by ultrasound relates to hand strength in patients who had nerve reconstruction.
  • Researchers measured muscle thickness using ultrasound and assessed hand strength with specialized tools like a dynamometer and pinchmeter in a group of patients.
  • Results showed significant correlations between muscle thickness and hand strength, suggesting ultrasound could be an effective method for monitoring patients with nerve injuries.
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  • Pectoralis minor syndrome (PMS) involves compression of the neurovascular bundle at the retropectoralis minor space and can result from various factors like repetitive activities, injury, and muscle spasticity.
  • A case study is presented of a 19-year-old male with spastic hemiparesis diagnosed with PMS, treated with ultrasound-guided botulinum toxin injections and stretching exercises.
  • The patient’s symptoms improved significantly, highlighting that spasticity in the pectoralis minor can impact the neurovascular structures, and botulinum toxin injections are an effective treatment option for PMS in post-stroke patients.
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