Cysticercosis of the triceps--an unusual pseudotumor: case report and review.

Cysticercosis is a disease caused by encysted larvae of the tapeworm Taenia solium. Most muscular disease presents with central nervous system involvement or multiple cysts or both. The authors report a 25-year-old woman with a rare single muscle cyst presenting as a tender hard triceps mass. Results of clinical examination and magnetic resonance imaging were indicative of a soft tissue tumor. Excision of the mass revealed purulence, and the histologic diagnosis was cysticercosis. In the differential diagnosis of isolated muscular masses, a rare isolated cysticercus presenting as a pseudotumor should be considered.

Biphasic material properties of lytic bone metastases.

It is necessary to prescribe the mechanical properties of tumor tissue when modeling the metastatically involved skeleton for clarifying the mechanisms of fracture. This study provides mechanical property data for lytic bone metastases. Specimens of human lytic tumor were tested under a confined compression uniaxial creep protocol and the mechanical behavior of the tumor tissue was modeled using linear biphasic theory. The tumor tissue was found to have an aggregate modulus (HA) of 3.6 +/- 1.6 kPa and a hydraulic permeability (k) of 0.59 +/- 0.46mm4 N(-1) s(-1). Tumors with a higher percentage of stromal content were found to be stiffer and more permeable than those with a more cellular composition. No significant differences in aggregate modulus or hydraulic permeability were found between lytic metastases of different types. These data are useful for the development of models to simulate the behavior of the metastatically involved skeleton using theoretical or finite-element analysis techniques and also have significance for developing effective tumor-drug-transport models. We anticipate that specification of the mechanical behavior of this tissue may help to better focus future treatment of lytic bony metastases through better assessment of fracture risk and improved drug delivery.

Patient outcomes after decompression and instrumented posterior spinal fusion for degenerative spondylolisthesis.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study of patient outcomes after decompression and fusion for degenerative spondylolisthesis, using the SF-36 survey and a functional questionnaire. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: In recent studies, patient outcomes have been examined more specifically; however, detailed functional outcomes are not available nor have widely used outcomes instruments been administered. METHODS: Thirty patients aged more than 40 years (average, 60.1 years) who had degenerative spondylolisthesis were evaluated after decompression and instrumented posterior fusion. Charts and radiographs were also reviewed. Questionnaires were administered by telephone, and consisted of the Medical Outcomes Study short form (SF-36) and 27 questions designed to evaluate function, quality of life, medication usage, and satisfaction with surgical results. RESULTS: Ninety-three percent of patient's were satisfied with their outcomes. Patients improved significantly in their ability to perform heavy and light activities, participate in social activities, sit, and sleep (P < 0.001) and also improved in pain, depression, and medication usage (P < 0.0001). SF-36 data showed significantly better overall assessment of health in all categories than that in a published cohort of patients with low back pain. The current study group also showed no difference in seven of eight categories when compared with the general population. Fusion rate was 93% at an average of 128 days. Three patients required reoperation: two for pseudarthrosis and one for a deep infection. A poorer outcome, scored by the SF-36, was associated with greater preoperative stenosis (P < 0.05) or occurrence of a complication (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated with decompression and fusion for degenerative spondylolisthesis had improved functional outcomes, when measured by a disease-specific questionnaire and by widely used instruments.