Spinous Process splitting Laminectomy: Clinical outcome and Radiological analysis of extent of decompression.

Introduction: Spinous process splitting laminectomy (SPSL) is a useful technique in achieving adequate decompression for lumbar canal stenosis, has the advantage of simultaneously decompressing multiple levels and minimising injury to the paraspinal muscles. Some concern has been expressed over the efficacy of this technique in decompressing lateral recesses. This study was undertaken to assess the clinical outcome of SPSL technique and radiologically assess the extent of decompression.

Surgical management of Giant Lumbar Extradural Schwannoma: Report of 3 cases.

Standard surgical approach for extradural paraspinal tumours has been through a unilateral facetectomy, inter-transverse or retroperitoneal approach. Some of these approaches destabilise the spine and consequently require a fusion procedure. Access to these tumours through a minimal access route can decrease tissue damage, fasten post-operative recovery and obviate the need for a concomitant fusion procedure.

Benign paravertebral ancient neurilemmoma in a young adult: a rare occurrence.

Neurilemmoma is a benign neurogenic tumour arising from Schwann cells of the peripheral nerve sheath, which is commonly seen in women in the 5th decade. It rarely arises in the retroperitoneum, being more common in the head and neck region and extremities. Ancient variety of schwannoma is a long-standing tumour, is seen in the middle age and elderly age groups, and is associated with secondary degenerative changes.

Occipital dermal sinus with a vermian dermoid.

Congenital occipital dermal sinus with an underlying dermoid is a rare, benign lesion of embryological origin and may occur anywhere along the neuraxis. We present a case of a 15-year-old girl with a vermian dermoid and an occipital dermal sinus. Gross total resection of the lesion was done and post-operative period was uneventful.

Clinico histopathological correlation in leprosy.

Introduction: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by M. leprae, which presents in different clinico-pathological forms, depending upon the immune status of the host. Clinical classification gives recognition only to gross appearances of the lesions, whereas the parameters used for the histopathological classification are well defined, precise, and also take into account the immunological features.

Correlation between NT proBNP and left ventricular ejection fraction in elderly patients presenting to emergency department with dyspnoea.

Objective: Shortness of breath is a common complaint for which the elderly seek medical attention in the emergency department (ED). Differentiating cardiac from respiratory causes of dyspnoea in this population is quite a challenge. N Terminal pro brain-natriuretic-peptide (NT proBNP) has been studied extensively as a biomarker of left ventricular (LV) failure.

Khat and stroke.

Khat chewing, though a tradition followed majorly in African countries, has of late spread widely across the globe due to faster transport systems and advanced preservation techniques. Many complications such as psychosis, arterial hypertension, angina pectoris, and myocardial infarction have been reported in connection to khat abuse. We present a case of a young man who presented with acute onset left-sided weakness.

A rare case of papillary carcinoma of choroids plexus: Its management and review of literature.

Papillary carcinoma of choroids plexus is very rare. Only a few cases have been described in the literature, and it is most commonly found in the pediatric population. A further observation is added now.

Gorlin syndrome or basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS): A case report.

Gorlin syndrome, also known as Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome (BCNS), is a rare autosomal dominant disorder with complete penetrance and variable expressivity. This syndrome is characterized by developmental anomalies, such as odentogenic keratocysts of the mandible and postnatal tumors, especially multiple basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). The prevalence of this syndrome is variously estimated to be 1 in 60,000 to 1 in 120,000 persons.

Aggressive approach in a case of cancer cervix with uremia.

Carcinoma of cervix is the most common cancer in developing countries. Majority of them present in locally advanced stages. A 36-year-old lady presented with bleeding and white discharge per vagina since four months, vomiting and reduced urine output since two weeks.

Palliative Benefits of the Multimodality Approach in the Re-treatment of Recurrent Malignant Glioma: Two Case Reports.

Two young male patients treated seven and four years back, for malignant glioma, returned with recurrence at the same site, with a World Health Organization (WHO) Performance Score of four and two. Both underwent resurgery and received postoperative reirradiation of 5040 cGy in 28 fractions and concurrent Temozolomide 75 mg/m(2) body surface area (BSA) daily, and one patient received additional adjuvant Temozolomide 250 mg (150 mg/m(2) BSA). Both patients tolerated the treatment well with 16 and 14 months follow-up from the time of recurrence.

Long-term survival in a patient with carcinoid syndrome receiving treatment for Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

A case of carcinoid syndrome in a patient receiving treatment for a malignant non-B-cell tumor of the pancreas is presented, and a survival of >14 years is noted. The probable cause is discussed. The literature is reviewed.

Cytokine profile in elderly patients with sepsis.

Context: Sepsis is a serious health problem in the elderly with a high degree of mortality. There is very limited data available in elderly subjects regarding the markers for sepsis. Development of good markers will help in overall management and prediction of sepsis.

Sirenomelia: a case report.

Sirenomelia is a rare and interesting congenital anomaly where there is fusion of the lower limb buds in association with a number of other anomalies, together termed as the caudal regression syndrome. We report this syndrome in a male foetus of 33 weeks gestational age, and review its embryological basis.

Can recurrent reflux disease after fundoplication be circumvented by adding a vagotomy?

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GORD) is caused by a weak lower esophageal sphincter. Open Nissen fundoplication has been the most common surgical treatment of GORD and hiatus hernia. This paper describes the symptomatic result and quantifies the endoscopic improvement achieved by open Nissen fundoplication alone and when combined with truncal vagotomy in a series of 21 cases and studies whether the added vagotomy confers any additional benefits.

Appendicitis with perforartion in a neonate.

Appendicitis is a very rare clinical entity in neonates. Preterm and male neonates are commonly affected. It is often seen in association with surgical conditions like Hirschsprung's disease and necrotizing enterocolitis.

Role of imprint cytology in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal tract malignancies.

Endoscopic biopsies obtained from 275 patients (180 from the upper gastrointestinal tract and 95 from the lower gastrointestinal tract) were studied to compare the accuracy of biopsy imprint cytology and histology in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal lesions, and also to establish the degree of reliability of imprint cytology alone for an early diagnosis of malignancy. Biopsy histology results were found to be correct in 100% cases. Imprint cytology had an overall accuracy of 100%, 96.

Mast cells in Helicobacter pylori associated antral gastritis.

Mast cells are known to be effector cells in various inflammatory reactions, but their role in gastritis is unclear. The present study was undertaken to investigate the extent of mast cell involvement in antral gastritis with and without Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and thus evaluate the possible role of mast cells in the pathogenesis of H.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the orbit.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) accounts for less than 1% of all orbital tumours. Though rare, orbital involvement in LCH is not uncommon. Most reports so far have been in Western literature.

Insular carcinoma of the thyroid in a 10-year-old child.

Thyroid carcinomas are relatively infrequent in the pediatric age group, the majority of which are papillary carcinomas. Poorly differentiated carcinomas are very rare in this age group. Insular carcinoma is a unique subset of poorly differentiated carcinoma of thyroid, which occurs predominantly in adults older than 50 years.

Accidental dextropropoxyphene poisoning.

Dextropropoxyphene poisoning is an uncommon accidental poisoning in children. Presentation is similar to narcotic over dosage or poisoning. Convulsions, conduction disturbances, arrhythmias and hypoglycemia are common.

Suprasellar germ cell tumor presenting as diencephalic syndrome and precocious puberty.

We report a 7-9/12 year-old boy presenting with precocious puberty and diencephalic syndrome. On investigation a suprasellar germ cell tumor was found. This is an uncommon tumor causing this rare syndrome and an unusual presentation.

Sclerosing mediastinitis: a case report.

A rare case of sclerosing mediastinitis in a 38 year old male is described. This interesting case illustrates how a seemingly benign fibrosing condition may lead to disastrous and fatal complications.

Red cell distribution width in the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia.

Objective: 1. To compare peripheral smear (PS) and Red cell distribution width (RDW) in diagnosis of Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in various grades. 2.