Electromyography of the pelvic floor musculature in the assessment of obstructed defecation symptoms.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use electromyography to examine the behavior of the external sphincter, puborectalis muscle, and pubococcygeus muscle during attempted defecation in patients with symptoms of obstructed defecation and in normal subjects to highlight differences of clinical significance.

Methods: A total of 35 patients (31 females) aged 20 to 80 (mean, 53.7 +/- 13.

Effects of chronic lithium treatment on the peripheral nervous system.

Background: Although lithium carbonate is widely used in the treatment of mood disorders, symptoms suggesting toxic effects on the peripheral nervous system may emerge even in subjects whose serum lithium levels remain within the recommended therapeutic range.

Method: Electroneuronographic (ENG) parameters (motor nerve conduction velocity of peroneal and median nerves, sensory nerve conduction velocity of sural and median nerves, amplitude of motor potential of peroneal and median nerves, and amplitude of sensory action potential of the median nerve at the wrist and the sural nerve) were investigated in 2 groups (N = 34) of patients suffering from bipolar affective disorder (DSM-III-R, DSM-IV) undergoing maintenance treatment with lithium carbonate for at least 1 year (mean = 2.06 years) in monotherapy.

The ischaemia-hyperpnea test in the evaluation of neuronal hyperexcitability syndrome.

Electromyography (EMG) identifies abnormalities in the neuronal hyperexcitability syndrome (NHS) with high frequencies of false positive results. We examined 25 subjects with autonomic, psychic and neuromuscular symptoms of NHS. They underwent the ischaemia-hyperpnea test using stringent time criteria to study their symptoms as well as their electrolytical balance.

[Non-parasitic splenic cyst].

The Authors report a case of epithelial cyst of the spleen. The pathogenetic hypothesis as well as the clinical patterns of this rare disease, which is usually found in children and young adults, are considered.

Sporadic juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

A case of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with onset at 18 years of age and death one year after is reported. Only 8 other cases with such an early onset (and the typical clinical and pathological features of ALS) have been reported in the literature. Resemblances between these cases and adult ALS are pointed out, but since all knowledge about their etiology is lacking, the relationship between them remains unclear.