Adjunctive gabapentin for treatment-resistant insomnia of bipolar disorder: a case report.

We report a case with bipolar II disorder having mixed features, in which refractory insomnia persisted. We diagnosed his case as mixed depression with mood fluctuations because increased impulsivity and buying sprees became remarkable, with diminished ability to think or concentrate. Switching to carbamazepine and risperidone improved his mood fluctuations and impulsivity. Nevertheless, his intermittent awakening (fragmentation of the sleep-wake rhythm), related dysfunctional beliefs, anxiety about sleep, and mild impulsivity persisted. The addition of various benzodiazepine sleeping drugs, bromovalerylurea, and antipsychotics did not improve insomnia. His intractable insomnia was markedly responsive to gabapentin, engendering further improvement of mood symptoms. Eventually, its efficacy achieved his reinstatement at work. Results of this case suggest the clinical use of gabapentin for treating bipolar disorder, especially in cases with intractable insomnia, which is a very important point in the symptoms and therapeutics of bipolar disorder.

[Rhabdomyolysis accompanying low back pain following prolonged urological surgery in the exaggerated lithotomy position: a case report].

A 69-year-old man (163 cm, 72 kg) with hypertension and lumbar spondylosis deformans was diagnosed as having prostate cancer and subsequently underwent perineal prostatectomy under sevoflurane anesthesia combined with epidural anesthesia using mepivacaine in the exaggerated lithotomy position. Supplemental intravenous fentanyl was also given. The patient's systolic blood pressure ranged between 80 and 120 mmHg throughout the 255-minute procedure. On emergence from the anesthesia, the patient was free from pain and epidural infusion with 0.2% ropivacaine, fentanyl 2 microg x ml(-1) and droperidol 12.5 microg x ml(-1) at a rate of 5 ml x hr(-1) was started. Shortly thereafter, the patient began to complain of severe low back pain, which required intramuscular pentazocine injection as a rescue analgesic for 5 days postoperatively. On the 6th postoperative day, creatine kinase, which had apparently passed its peak, was 4,795 IU x l(-1). MRI on the 8th day demonstrated the presence of hemorrhage in the bilateral erector spinae muscles. On day 16, CT scan also confirmed partial necrotizing changes in the bilateral gluteal and erector spinae muscles. We believe that the low back pain was due to rhabdomyolysis secondary to ischemia of the lumbar and pelvic muscles resulting from lengthy compression during surgery. The recognition and early diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis following prolonged time in the exaggerated lithotomy position are the key to prevent potentially fatal sequelae.

[Clinico-statistical analysis of renal cell carcinomas in patients on hemodialysis].

Eleven patients on hemodialysis that were surgically treated for renal cell carcinomas during the recent 10 years at our institutes were clinically analyzed. Patients' ages at presentation ranged from 35 to 70 years with an average of 54.8 years. Nine of the 11 patients were males and 2 were females. Periods between the introduction of hemodialysis and the presentation ranged from 1 to 21 years with an average of 11.7 years. The most frequent cause of hemodialysis was chronic glomerulonephritis. Five patients presented with macroscopic hematuria, which was the most frequent clinical manifestation. Transperitoneal nephrectomy through a lumbar oblique incision was performed in 9 of 12 surgical procedures. Transperitoneal resection and retroperitoneal endoscopic resection were performed on 2 patients and 1 patient, respectively. Blood transfusion was performed on 2 patients with retroperitoneal hemorrhage before or after operation and 2 patients with pre-existing renal anemia. Pathologically, 9 patients had pT1a disease. Patients were followed up for up to 7 years and 11 months. One patient died of the disease and 2 patients died of unknown causes. In conclusion, surgical removal of renal cell carcinomas was well tolerated, safe and effective treatment in patients under hemodialysis.