Outcome of transaxillary rib resection for thoracic outlet syndrome--a 10 year experience.

Background: This study assessed the outcome of transaxillary first and/or cervical rib resection in a unit, which has a policy of combined assessment by a neurologist and vascular surgeon.

Methods: 61 patients underwent 83 transaxillary rib resections for thoracic outlet syndrome. A retrospective case note review of these patients was undertaken.

The clinical and laboratory features of chronic sensory ataxic neuropathy with anti-disialosyl IgM antibodies.

The clinical and laboratory phenotype of a paraproteinaemic neuropathy syndrome termed chronic sensory ataxic neuropathy with anti-disialosyl IgM antibodies is described in a series of 18 cases. Previous single case reports have outlined some features of this syndrome. All 18 cases were defined by the presence of serum IgM antibodies which react principally with NeuAc (alpha2-8)NeuAc(alpha2-3)Gal-configured disialosyl epitopes common to many gangliosides including GDlb, GD3, GTlb and GQlb.

Sural nerve fibre pathology in diabetic patients with mild neuropathy: relationship to pain, quantitative sensory testing and peripheral nerve electrophysiology.

Nerve fibre pathology is poorly described in diabetic patients with mild neuropathy and has not been adequately related to clinical evaluation, quantitative sensory examination and neurophysiology. Sural nerve myelinated and unmyelinated fibre pathology was morphometrically quantified and related to the presence of pain and conventional measures of neuropathic severity in 15 diabetic patients with mild neuropathy and 14 control subjects. Diabetic patients demonstrated a significant (P < 0.

Investigation of the functional correlates of reorganization within the human somatosensory cortex.

Much work in animals and humans has demonstrated the existence of changes in topographic organization within the somatosensory cortex (SSC) after amputation or nerve injury. Afferent inputs from one area of skin are able to activate novel areas of cortex after amputation of an adjacent body part. We have investigated the functional consequences of this reorganization in a group of patients with nerve injury.

Superior sagittal sinus obstruction and tuberculous abscess.

Intracranial tumours such as meningiomas may occasionally produce raised intracranial pressure by occluding a venous sinus. More uncommonly, midline tumours in the occipital regions of the skull can produce elevated intracranial pressure by non-thrombotic compression of the superior sagittal sinus. We present a case of raised intracranial pressure secondary to non-thrombotic obstruction of the superior sagittal sinus by a midline tuberculous abscess.