[A case of transient postoperative median nerve palsy due to the use of the wrist holder to stabilize an intra-arterial catheter].

We experienced a case of right median nerve palsy at the distal forearm following abdominal surgery. We postulate that the cause of the median nerve palsy is overextension of the wrist by the inappropriate fixation with a holder. The patient was a 46-year-old man with habit of smoking receiving low-anterior resection of the rectum under general and epidural anesthesia in lithotomy position.

Continuous cardiac output measurement with a Doppler-equipped pulmonary artery catheter.

Background: We developed a Doppler-equipped pulmonary artery catheter that provides continuous measurement of the true main pulmonary blood flow velocity independent of the angle of incidence formed by the pulmonary artery catheter and the main pulmonary artery blood flow. This device uses 2 orthogonally positioned Doppler transducers that allow trigonometric correction for differences in the angle of blood flow between each transducer. We tested the accuracy of the Doppler-equipped pulmonary artery catheter by comparing its cardiac output measurements with those done by conventional techniques in animals.

[Postoperative seizure in an epileptic patient with dentatorubral pallidoluysian atrophy].

A 28-year-old male with dentatorubral pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) was scheduled for evulsion of bone marrow nail after tibia fracture. He was diagnosed as having DRPLA at the age of 12. Although he was receiving anticonvulsants, regular seizures had occurred occasionally and his symptoms were exacerbating.