Far lateral extraforaminal facet cyst causing L5 radiculopathy.

Most synovial cysts of the lumbar spine appear as intraspinal extradural masses adjacent to the facet joint. Almost all symptomatic synovial cysts are located within the spinal canal and or the neural foramen. To our knowledge, only 6 cases of symptomatic extraspinal synovial cysts have been described in the literature.

Spontaneous rupture of the extensor pollicis longus tendon in a professional skier.

Spontaneous rupture of the extensor pollicis longus (EPL) tendon is uncommon in sports activities. We report a rare case of a professional downhill skier presenting with a rupture of the EPL tendon. Repetitive motion of the wrist joint appeared to cause the rupture.

Taste disturbance after tonsillectomy and laryngomicrosurgery.

Objective: To investigate the incidence of taste disturbance after tonsillectomy and laryngomicrosurgery.

Study Design: A prospective study.

Methods: Thirty-five consecutive patients underwent tonsillectomy with electric coagulator at Kanebo Memorial Hospital from September 2002 to May 2004.

Lumbar chance fracture in an adult snowboarder: unusual mechanism of a chance fracture.

Study Design: A case of a Chance fracture in an adult snowboarder following a fall is presented. The mechanism of this fracture is reported.

Objective: To increase awareness of the spinal injuries in snowboarders and to propose the mechanism of this unusual fracture.

Synovial cyst at the C1-C2 junction in a patient with atlantoaxial subluxation.

Synovial cysts of the cervical spine causing myelopathy are rare. The pathogenesis of these cysts is often attributed to degenerative changes of the facet joints or microtrauma. The authors report a synovial cyst at the C1-C2 junction in a patient with atlantoaxial subluxation without a congenital anomaly or inflammatory conditions.

Spontaneously stabilized severe dysplastic spondylolisthesis without operation: long-term follow-up of a preteenage patient.

Surgical management is the accepted treatment choice for grade III or IV spondylolisthesis, and many satisfactory clinical and radiologic follow-up results have been reported. Very little, however, has been written about long-term results in preteenage patients in whom dysplastic spondylolisthesis has been treated nonoperatively, especially in those who have > or =50% displacement of the fifth lumbar vertebra on the sacrum. We report an unusual case of spontaneous stabilization of severe dysplastic spondylolisthesis in an 8-year-old girl who presented with grade III spondylolisthesis of L5-S1 and was followed up for >14 years in the absence of surgical intervention.

Adrenocorticotropic hormone response to hypoglycemic stress was preserved by a single bedtime 3-mg dose of prednisolone in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract We have studied the effect of low-dose prednisolone administered before sleep on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the symptoms of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and serum cortisol levels were measured in the basal state and after hypoglycemic stress induced by the insulin tolerance test in 21 patients receiving prednisolone at 3-5 mg daily. The patient's global assessment of their disease activity scores on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS) and self-reporting of their functional status using the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) were evaluated.

Unstable pelvic insufficiency fracture in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

The occurrence of pelvic insufficiency fractures in patients with rheumatoid arthritis has not previously been well emphasized. These fractures are difficult to detect clinically, and appropriate radiological investigation is necessary for diagnosis. A 72-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis presented with severe left groin pain.

Unusual swallow syncope caused by huge hiatal hernia.

Swallowing is a rare cause of syncope. A 76-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital due to postprandial loss of consciousness. Although no remarkable cardiogenic problem was proven, upper gastrointestinal barium examination revealed a huge hiatal hernia.

[Work expansion and teamwork in the clinical examination department].

Changes in hospital management and examination rooms are needed along with revisions of medical laws and medical fees. Clinical examination engineers should improve hospital management by implementing user service, cost performance and effective use of skills to ensure proper treatment.

Midkine gene expression in the healing process of gastric ulcer.

Midkine is a newly cloned growth-promoting factor for fibroblastic cells. This study was performed to investigate the possible role of midkine in the stomach. Rats with acute or chronic gastric mucosal lesions were used.

[Chronic fatigue syndrome--cases in the Kanebo Memorial Hospital].

In our hospital, 134 patients (28 male, 106 female, 10-82 years of age) were diagnosed as having chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Some patients had mild elevation of antibodies against Epstein-Barr Virus and immunologic abnormalities (natural killer cell dysfunction and high rates of skin reactivity to house dust, pollen, drugs and common food). In the patients with immunologic abnormalities, we found decreases in serum concentrations of arachidonic acid and dihomogamma-linolenic acid.

[A case of Bochdalek hernia in an adult with volvulus of the stomach and hypopotassemia].

Gastric volvulus is a rare disease. We recently encountered a gastric volvulus associated with Bochdalek hernia and severe hypopotassemia. A 32-year-old woman experienced epigastric pain and recurrent vomiting.