Cost of care pathways before and after appropriate and inappropriate transfers to the emergency department among nursing home residents: results from the FINE study.

Background: Transfers of nursing home (NH) residents to the emergency department (ED) is frequent. Our main objective was to assess the cost of care pathways 6 months before and after the transfer to the emergency department among NH residents, according to the type of transfer (i.e.

Attraction, Dynamics, and Phase Transitions in Fire Ant Tower-Building.

Many insect species, and even some vertebrates, assemble their bodies to form multi-functional materials that combine sensing, computation, and actuation. The tower-building behavior of red imported fire ants, , presents a key example of this phenomenon of collective construction. While biological studies of collective construction focus on behavioral assays to measure the dynamics of formation and studies of swarm robotics focus on developing hardware that can assemble and interact, algorithms for designing such collective aggregations have been mostly overlooked.

[Epidural labor analgesia and parturient with type 2B von Willebrand disease].

Type 2B von Willebrand disease (vWD) is an inherited bleeding syndrome resulting from a qualitative abnormality of von Willebrand Factor with an increased affinity for the glycoprotein Ib platelet receptor. Pregnancy increases the severity of this disease by decreasing the platelet count restricting epidural anaesthesia because of adverse risk of spinal bleeding. There is a phenotypic variability of Type 2B vWD depending of the von Willebrand Factor mutation.

[When the pupil becomes the teacher].

Objective: To evaluate the theoretical teaching provided to ophthalmology residents in Toulouse during the 2006-2007 academic year using the PowerVote(®) system. PUPILS AND METHOD: This was a prospective study concerning all ophthalmology residents in Toulouse. Classes were given by the house doctors and senior registrars as PowerPoint presentations lasting about 45 min.

Improvement in cognitive function and cerebral perfusion after bur hole surgery in an adult with moyamoya disease. Case report.

Recent studies have suggested that cognitive impairment may be a common complication in adults with moyamoya disease (MMD). However, the mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction have not been clarified. Whether cognitive impairment may occur as a consequence of cerebral hypoperfusion and may improve after revascularization surgery has not been determined.

[PowerVote: an evaluation tool].

Objective: The objective was to report the experience using PowerVote software to evaluate the teaching provided to Toulouse ophthalmology residents.

Subjects And Methods: This prospective study covers all ophthalmology residents in Toulouse during the 2006-2007 academic year. Courses were alternately given by residents and resident physicians, during a 45-minute PowerPoint presentation.

[Ventriculus terminalis dilatation in adults: A case report and review of the literature].

The ventriculus terminalis (VT) is a virtual cavity of the conus medullaris that appears during embryonic life. The occurrence of its dilatation is very rare in adulthood. Only 27 cases have been documented so far.

Spinal meningioma surgery in elderly patients with paraplegia or severe paraparesis: a multicenter study.

Objective: In a multicenter study, 102 patients aged 70 years or older with paraplegia or severe paraparesis, and who underwent operation for spinal meningiomas, are presented to correlate surgery and outcome and to determine the most influential factors that affected this outcome.

Methods: Five French neurosurgical centers participated in this retrospective study between 1990 and 2007. Pre- and postoperative neurological status were assessed using a grading system.

Primary sellar melanocytic tumor: report of new case and literature review.

Context: Primary sellar melanocytic tumors are extremely rare, and they can mimic hormonally inactive pituitary macroadenoma both clinically and radiologically.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe a new case of primary sellar melanocytic tumor, and place it in the context of published literature.

Design: This is a case report.

Quantification of true in vivo (application) accuracy in cranial image-guided surgery: influence of mode of patient registration.

Objective: Very few studies have attempted to quantify the true (application) accuracy of image-guidance systems during craniotomy. This is, in part, because of the lack of millimetric intraoperative targets to allow such measurements. Few in vivo studies have compared the influence of mode of patient registration on subsequent true accuracy.

Pituitary apoplexy and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura: a new case and review of the literature.

Pituitary apoplexy can occur as a complication of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. We report here a new case of such association. A male patient aged 59 years, complaining of decreased libido for one year, was referred to the emergency department for purpura and severe thrombocytopenia (4000 platelets/mm3).

Asymptomatic spherocytosis presenting with spinal cord compression: case report.

Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) is a compensatory mechanism occurring in patients with chronic anemia, which occurs most frequently with thalassemia. The authors report the case of a 57-year-old man, with no history of clinical or hematological disease, presenting with spinal cord compression. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging demonstrated a homogeneous posterior epidural mass extending from T-3 to T-6.

Unsedated transnasal PEG placement.

Background: By using a small-diameter endoscope, EGD can be performed transnasally in adults. A prospective study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of transnasal PEG placement without conscious sedation.

Methods: Unsedated transnasal PEG was attempted in 23 patients by using a 5.

A relapsing remitting lymphocytic hypophysitis.

Lymphocytic Hypophysitis is a rare autoimmune disease of the pituitary presenting mainly with features of a mass lesion and loss of pituitary function. Its course is quite unpredictable and its treatment is still controversial as experience in the field remains scarce. We describe a 45 year-old woman with a history of recurrent fever and meningeal symptoms who was referred 3 years later to our department for pituitary insufficiency.

[Image-guided neuroendoscopy].

Background And Purpose: By definition, image-guided neuroendoscopy is a connection between a neuroendoscope and a neuronavigational system creating a computer-guided instrument. Our objective was to adapt our rigid endoscope with our neuronavigation system to perform computer-guided endoscopy.

Methods And Results: The rigid neuroendoscope, equipped with light emitting diodes, was connected to the work station.

[Direct transnasal approach. Description and feasibility in 60 patients].

Background And Purpose: The direct transnasal approach is a less invasive approach to the sella turcica and represents an alternative to the sublabial transsphenoidal approach with minor oro-nasal complications. In this study, we describe this approach with emphasis on post-operative course.

Methods: We studied retrospectively 60 patients operated on consecutively by a transnasal approach between January 1996 and December 2000.

Vertebral pedicle anatomy in relation to pedicle screw fixation: a cadaver study.

New techniques to stabilize and correct the thoracic and lumbar spine have been developed in recent years. In view of the wide variety and complexity of fixation devices, the optimum configuration of spinal instrumentation systems needs to be defined. Linear and angular measurements of both vertebral pedicles were made in ten complete thoracic and lumbar cadaveric spines using callipers and a goniometer.

[Paraplegia and medullary arteriovenous malformation. Role of surgery, corticosteroids and embolization].

Case Report: We report the case of a nine-year-old child with a cervical medullary arteriovenous malformation (AVM), revealed by total paraplegia, whose regression started during steroid therapy, before embolization.

Conclusion: The frequency of AVM's spontaneous favorable outcome is unknown but should not be underestimated. It might be improved by steroids.