Minimally invasive interventional therapy for Tarlov cysts causing symptoms of interstitial cystitis.

BACKGROUND: Tarlov cysts (TC) are present in 4.6% of the population and represent a potential source of chronic pain. When present at lumbosacral levels, symptoms are classically described as perineal pain/pressure, radiculopathy, and headache. Treatment outlined to date primarily includes cyst drainage with fibrin glue sealant and surgical interventions. OBJECTIVES: We present 2 cases in which TC presented with signs and symptomatology consistent with interstitial cystitis who were treated with caudal epidural steroid injections. METHODS: Patients with urinary bladder pain and urgency received urological workups demonstrating hallmark features of interstitial cystitis including cystoscopic evidence of glomerulations. Radiographic imaging identified TC to be present on sacral nerve roots. Since pelvic pains could represent compressive radiculopathy of sacral roots, a cautious trial of minimally invasive caudal epidural steroid injections was performed. RESULTS: Both patients attained nearly 100% relief of pain for a period ranging from 6 months to 2 years following low volume, targeted caudal epidural steroid injection. They continue to be followed clinically and continue to report benefit with this treatment. LIMITATIONS: This limited case series is retrospective in nature and potential complications have been noted by others in association with TC. CONCLUSIONS: Use of caudal epidural steroid injections proved beneficial in the treatment of pelvic pain symptomatology and so may be considered as an option in patients with identified sacral TC.

Plagio y otros traspasos literario-científicos en medicina y particularmente en anestesiología / Plagiarism and other literary missteps in medicine and particularly in anesthesia

Con una verdadera abundancia de publicaciones, últimamente se ha notado la aparición de artículos científicos que, en parte o en su totalidad, se habían publicado anteriormente por otro o por otros autores, lo cual evidencia un plagio. Al reproducir un párrafo o el artículo completo, se considera que el contenido ha sido robado al autor y a la publicación original. Se han definido variedades y grados de plagio y aun se considera el “autoplagio”, que no es tan alarmante. Sin embargo, incluir más de seis palabras consecutivas tomadas verbatum de otro texto, escrito por otro autor, debe considerarse un plagio. Una vez identificado y corroborado, varias revistas médicas y organizaciones científicas han penalizado al plagiario de varias maneras; en algunos países el plagio ni siquiera se considera un delito y es simplemente un concepto doctrinario. Sin embargo, en otros países, en ciertas universidades y en algunas agrupaciones médicas han castigado con la retracción del artículo publicado, notificación a quien emplea al plagiario (por ejemplo, la universidad, el hospital, la entidad gubernamental y la organización científica o profesional). Frecuentemente, el castigo es la retracción del artículo de una revista ya publicada; despedir de la entidad académica (universidad) al pseudoautor y destituirlo de uno o más cargos que tenía. Quizás en el futuro se puedan aplicar multas o instituir demandas legales que resulten en pago monetario al autor original. Además, se ha debatido la culpa en que incurren los editores que permiten tal infracción, sobre todo si es un hecho frecuente.

Recently, with the great abundance of publications, a noticeable number of scientific papers that have been previously published partially or in whole, by other author or authors have appeared demonstrating plagiarism. When either a paragraph or complete article is reproduced, it is considered that the content has been stolenfrom the author and the original publication. Different degrees and varieties of plagiarism have been defined, and even “auto plagiarism”has been defined which is not so alarming. However, including more than 6 exact consecutive words from another text written by other author should be considered plagiarism. Once identified and checked, several medical journalsand scientific organizations have sanctioned plagiarism in different ways; in some countries plagiarism is not even considered a crime and it is simply assumed as a conceptual problem. However, in other countries, in someuniversities, and medical organizations, it has been sanctioned with the retraction of the published paper, and notification of the plagiarist’s employer (for example the University, hospital,government agency and scientific or trade organization). Commonly, the punishment is the retraction of the paper in the journal, dismissal of the plagiarist from the academic center(University) and or destitution in one or more appointments he may have had. Maybe in the future, fines or lawsuits resulting in economic compensation to the original author could be instated. Another issue is the responsibility of editors who allow such actions, particularly if it is a common event.

Absence of histological changes after the administration of a continuous intrathecal clonidine in Wistar rats.

BACKGROUND: The administration of epidural and spinal clonidine has demonstrated an antinociceptive effect in animals and humans. For that reason, its spinal administration has been proposed as an adjuvant in chronic pain management. However, there is limited information about its possible neurotoxic effect after its continuous neuraxial administration. METHOD: Twelve male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups. Using an osmotic mini-pump a continuous infusion of intrathecal clonidine, (21.4 micrograms/day, Group A) or saline solution (Group B), was administered for 14 consecutive days. For evaluating the neurological damage a neuropathological analysis of the spinal cord was performed by light microscopy. RESULTS: Neurohistopathologic examination of the spinal cord specimens failed to show evidence of neurotoxic damage in either group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings showed that continuous intrathecal administration of clonidine did not produce evidence of histological neurotoxicity; therefore it is possible that continuous administration of intrathecal clonidine might be a safe option for treatment of chronic intractable pain; however, further investigations are necessary for evaluating diverse doses and periods of time, and to define its possible behavioral effects.

Farmacología y aplicaciones clínicas del dantrolene / Dantrolene: pharmacology and clinical uses

El dantrolene (DNL) es el fármaco de elección para prevenir y revertir los síntomas de la hipertermia maligna (HM); es un derivado liposoluble de la hidantoína que relaja y paraliza totalmente al músculo esquelético. La HM es un síndrome que produce estragos fisiológicos. La identificación de los pacientes sensibles a hipertermia maligna (SHM) puede prevenir el desencadenamiento de este síndrome evitando el uso de agentes anestésicos y relajantes que lo inducen. El dantrolene ejerce su efecto miorrelajante disminuyendo la frecuencia de reapertura de los canales de calcio del retículo sarcoplásmico a través del receptor de ryanodina (RYI), disminuyendo el calcio en el sarcoplasma y de este modo la exitación-contracción, con un efecto agonista dopaminérgico. El dantrolene se metaboliza en el hígado y aunque atraviesa la barrera placentaria, no se han reportado efectos adversos en neonatos. La mortalidad de la HM, sin la administración del dantrolene era del 95 por ciento y solo se podía hacer un tratamiento sintomático. La aplicación de este medicamento, sumado a un diagnóstico precoz y un tratamiento específico, ha reducido la mortalidad a un 3 por ciento. El síndrome de hipertermia maligna (SHM) se presenta con: taquicardia, aumento de CO2, taquipnea, rigidez muscular, arritmias cardíacas, acidosis respiratoria y metabólica, aumento de la temperatura corporal, tensión arterial inestable, cianosis, mioglobinuria, oliguria y rigidez del músculo masetero (RMM). También puede ocurrir como un síndrome serotoninérgico, o ser causado por intoxicación por IMAO, anfetaminas, cocaína o CO. Se adjuntan tres casos clínicos donde se utilizó con éxito el DNL.

Dantrolene (DNL) is the medication of choice to prevent and to revert the symptoms of the malignant hyperthermia(HM), it is a liposoluble derivative of the hydantoine that relaxes and paraIyzes totally the skeletal muscle. HM is a syndrome that produces physiological devastations. The identification of the sensitive patients to hyperthermia malignant (SHM) can anticipate the triggering of these cases avoiding the use of anaesthesic and relaxing agents who induce it. The miorelaxing effect diminishes the frequency of reopening of the calcium channels of the reticulum sarcoplasmatic across the ryanodine receptor (RYI), diminishing the calcium in the sarcoplasma and hereby it reduce the excitation-contraction, resulting in agonist dopaminergic effect. DNL is metabolized in the liver. It crosses the placental barrier; nevertheless adverse effects have not been reported in neonates. The mortality in the HM without the specific drug was 95 percent, it was possible to do only symptomatic treatment. The application of this medicine, added to an early diagnosis and a specific treatment, has reduced the mortality to 3 percent. The syndrome of hyperthermia malignant (SHM) appears with: tachycardia, increase of CO2, taquipnea, muscular inflexibility, cardiac arrhythmias, respiratory and metabolic acidosis, increase of the corporal temperature, arterial unstable tension, cyanosis, mioglobinuria, oliguria and inflexibility of the masseter muscle (RMM). Also it can happen as a serotoninergic syndrome, poisoning for IMAO, anfetamines, cocaine and poisoning from CO. Three clinical cases are included where the DNL was in use successfully.

O dantrolene (DNL)‚ é o fármaco de escolha para a prevençao e reversao dos sintomas da hipertermia maligna (HM); e um derivado lipossolúvel da hidantoína que relaxa e paralisa totalmente o músculo esquelético. A HM é uma síndrome que causa enormes danos fisiológicos; a identificaçao dos pacientes sensíveis à hipertermia maligna (SHM) pode prevenir o desencadeamento dessa síndrome evitando o uso de agentes anestésicos e relaxantes que a induzem. O daxtrolene exerce seu efeito miorrelaxante diminuindo a freqüência de reabertura dos canais de cálcio do reticulo sarcoplásmico através do receptor da ryanodina (RYI) e reduzindo o cálcio no sarcoplasma, e, conseqüentemente, também a excitaçao-contraçao, com efeito agonista dopaminérgico. E metabolizado pelo fígado, e apesar de atravessar a barreira placentária, nao se informaram efeitos adversos em neonatos. A mortalidade da HM sem a administraçao de dantrolene era de 95 por cento, e apenas era possivel o tratamento sintomático. A aplicaçao deste medicamento, junto a um diagnóstico precoce e tratamento específico, tem diminuída a mortalidade a 3 por cento. A síndrome de hipertermia maligna (SHM) associa-se a: taquicardia, aumento do CO2, taquipnéia, rigidez muscular, arritmias cardíacas, acidose respiratória e metabólica, aumento da temperatura corporal, tensao arterial instável, cianose, mioglobinúria, oligúria e rigidez do músculo masseter (RMM). Também pode-se apresentar como síndrome serotoninérgica, intoxicaçao por IMAO, anfetaminas, cocaína e intoxicaçao por CO. Sao informados três casos clínicos nos quais se utilizou o DNL.

La prevención del dolor de hombro en pacientes en decúbito lateral, bajo anestesia regional / Preventing shoulder pain in patients lying in lateral position, undergoing regional anesthesia

Introducción: El dolor de hombro en pacientes operados en posición decúbito lateral suele manifestarse entre los 15 y 30 minutos de permanencia en esa posición, siendo en algunos casos difícil de controlar. Se trató de evitar esa complicación administrando, antes de la intervención, un bloqueo ipsilateral del nervio supraescapular (BNSE) a pacientes sometidos a intervenciones quirúrgicas ortopédicas de la cadera. Método: El estudio incluyó un total de 1252 pacientes adultos, 738 mujeres y 514 varones, con edades comprendidas entre 51 a 96 años, asignados al azar a cuatro grupos. Los 64 pacientes del grupo "A" no recibieron BNSE. Otros 64 del grupo "B" recibieron 5 ml de solución de cloruro de sodio al 0.9 por ciento. El grupo "C" incluyó 459 pacientes que recibieron el BNSE con 5 ml de lidocaína al 2 por ciento con epinefrina al 1:200000, y a los 675 pacientes del grupo "D" se les administraron 5 ml de bupivacaína al 0.5 por ciento. Además de monitorizar los signos vitales, se consignó la cantidad de pacientes que tuvieron dolor y/o adormecimiento del miembro dependiente durante la intervención y el tiempo en que éste comenzó. Igualmente, en cada grupo se registró el número de casos en los que fue necesario proveer anestesia general para resolver las molestias que no fueron resueltas con el tratamiento administrado. Resultados: De los 64 pacientes del grupo "A" que no recibieron el BNSE, 52 (81.1 por ciento) se quejaron de dolor y 56 (87.5 por ciento) de adormecimiento en la extremidad dependiente. En el grupo "B", que incluyó aquellos pacientes a los que se les inyectó solución salina, 50 (78.1 por ciento) tuvieron dolor, mientras que 55 (85.9 por ciento) se quejaron de adormecimiento. En tanto, de los 459 pacientes incluidos en el grupo "C", 79 (17.2 por ciento) tuvieron dolor y 85 (19.3 por ciento) adormecimiento. En el grupo 'D", 93 de los 675 pacientes (13.7 por ciento) tuvieron algia y, en sólo 105 (15.5 por ciento) se registró adormecimiento del hombro.

Nerve root degeneration and regeneration by intrathecal phenol in rats: a morphologic approach.

Intrathecal injection of phenol (ITP) has been used to control intractable pain and spasticity. Direct caustic nerve damage has been postulated as the mechanism of analgesia. Sensation is commonly recovered, suggesting that a spontaneous regeneration process takes place. There is, however, a lack of mechanistic information on ITP therapy. To define morphologically the neurolysis and regeneration phenomena produced by ITP, anesthetized rats were subjected to laminectomy at L5; 5 microl of 22% phenol in saline solution or vehicle (control) was injected. Light and electron microscopy studies of nerve roots were performed at 2, 14, and 60 days after injection. Rats given ITP showed at the early stage a variable amount of roots with signs of infarction characterized by loss of axon-myelin units and thrombosis of intra-root vessels. At 14 days, abundance of macrophages removing debris, open vessels, and nerve sprouts was identified in damaged roots. At this time, non-myelinating glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive Schwann cells were observed in both damaged and apparently undamaged roots. At 60 days, abundance of 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase-positive Schwann cells myelinating newly formed axons was observed in damaged roots. Control rats did not show signs of neural or vascular pathology. Attempting to prevent thrombosis, another group of rats received heparin before ITP; these anti-coagulated rats developed radicular thrombosis, neurolysis, and hemorrhage. In conclusion, neurolysis produced by ITP is associated with acute ischemia (not prevented by heparin) and is followed by vascular, nerve, and myelin regeneration. Our results help understand the lack of efficacy of and some complications by ITP clinical therapy.

Chronic subarachnoid administration of 1-(4chlorobenzoyl)-5methoxy-2methyl-1H-indole-3 acetic acid (indomethacin): an evaluation of its neurotoxic effects in an animal model.

Neuraxial administration of nonsteroid antiinflammatory drugs has been suggested as an alternative in the management of intractable pain, but there is little evidence that the neurotoxic effects of indomethacin by this route of administration have been evaluated. In this study, we evaluated histological neurotoxicity of indomethacin after its subarachnoid administration in guinea pigs. The hypothesis tested was "Does subarachnoid administration of indomethacin produce damage in the spinal cord of guinea pigs?" Ten male guinea pigs were anesthetized, and a polyamide catheter connected to a subcutaneous osmotic micro-pump was implanted at the L2-3 level. Animals were randomly assigned in 2 groups of 5 animals each. Indomethacin or saline solution was administered by continuous infusion (0.5 microL/h) for 14 days. Neurotoxicity was determined by spinal cord histopathology. There was no evidence of toxicity in the histological examinations of either group. These data suggest that subarachnoid administration of indomethacin infusion, at these doses, did not produce lesions typical of neurotoxicity in the spinal cord. We have concluded that epidural administration of indomethacin may be considered an alternative for application in human pain management, although more studies to determine its safety are required.

[Cervical epidural anesthesia for upper extremity surgery using three different formulations of local anesthetics]. / Anestesia epidural cervical para la cirugía de miembro torácico con tres formulaciones de anestésicos locales.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficiency and safety of the cervical epidural blockade (CEB) in upper extremity surgery, using lidocaine 2%, bupivacaine 5% and a mixture of both local analgesics. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty five patients were submitted to upper limb surgery under CEB. They were assigned into one of three groups: group I received 100 mg of 2% lidocaine; group II received 30 mg of 0.5% bupivacaine, and group III received a mixture of 60 mg of 2% lidocaine and 15 mg of 0.5% bupivacaine. We evaluated their effects on vital signs, blockade quality, adverse effects, and patient comfort. RESULTS: Anesthesiologist and surgeon evaluated the technique as "good" in 80% of the patients. Significant differences were found for motor blockade. Group II developed complete motor block (100%). Observed adverse effects were vomiting in groups II and III and dural puncture was present in 6.7% of the cases in group II. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the safety of cervical epidural anesthesia for upper limb surgery using three different formulations of local anesthetics.

Exacerbation of preexisting neurological deficits by neuraxial anesthesia: report of 7 cases.

We undertook this case series to determine if preexisting neurological disease is exacerbated by either spinal or epidural anesthesia. In the website of the Arachnoiditis Foundation, we posted an offer to advise anesthesiologists in cases of neurological problems after either of these techniques was used. Contacts were made first by way of the Internet, confirmed by telephone, and maintained by fax, e-mail, or by special mail. Patients here described were cared for and observed by one of the authors, in a hospital, in Argentina or in Mexico. A total of 7 adult, ASA physical status I and II patients, including 3 men and 4 women, with subtle symptoms of neurological disease before anesthesia, are described. Two patients had continuous lumbar epidural anesthesia, 3 had spinals; in 2 more, attempted epidural blocks led to accidental dural puncture and were converted to subarachnoid anesthetics. All patients accepted neuraxial anesthesia without informing the anesthesiologists that they had mild neurological symptoms before surgery. Because anesthesiologists did not specifically inquire about subclinical neurological symptoms or prior neurological disease, anesthesiologists are advised to carefully inquire about prior neurological disease whether neuraxial anesthesia techniques are considered.