[Inoculation spondylodiskitis]. / Spondylodiscites d'inoculation.

An enquiry on French rheumatology units permitted the authors to collect 122 cases of inoculation spondylodiscitis from 1967 to 1979, whereas over the same period were observed on these units 793 cases of spontaneous non-tuberculous spondylodiscitis. There were also 10 cases of spondylodiscitis after discography. Discal curettage was the most frequent cause. The staphylococcus is the germ most commonly encountered. The course is on the whole favourable, without clinical sequelae and a radiological blockage only occurred in 25 cases.

[Lumbosciatica and nerve root anomalies]. / Lombosciatique et anomalies radiculaires.

The authors report 3 cases of lumbar pain and sciatica where operation revealed the existence of abnormalities in the distribution of L5 and S1 roots. In one case, the L5 root was not recognised within fibrous tissue also surrounding S1 and S2 and histological examination of this "fibrosis" led to the identification of nerve structures. Development of postoperative L5 paralysis showed that the L5 root was contained within the tissue non-individualised, consisting of multiple rootlets. In the other two cases the L5 and S1 roots arose from a common trunk. There was an associated herniated disc in all three cases. A review of the literature revealed the rarity of such abnormalities, as well as the fact that they were not recognised before surgery. They are difficult to recognise, even at the time of operation. The prognosis is less good than in typical lumbar pain and sciatica, essentially because of surgical difficulties of the disc curettage.

[Bone density and biological markers in a population of 330 women]. / Densité osseuse et marqueurs biologiques dans une population de 330 femmes.

A population of 330 non-selected women underwent determination of bone density by means of Bi X absorptiometry of the lumbar spine and femur. The findings showed a negative correlation with the time since the menopause and a positive correlation with the duration of genitally active life and with substitutive hormonal treatment. The determination of the L1 density can replace that of the entire lumbar spine in cases in which osteoarthritis, atheroma or crushing make this determination unreliable. Conclusions cannot yet be based on measurements of the neck of femur. Changes in the biological markers in function of bone density values are difficult to interpret. The measurement of bone density and the assay of biological markers reflect two distinct phenomena, both of which must be taken into consideration in assessing osteoporotic risk.

[A special form of lupus disease. Deep cutaneous lupus. Apropos of 2 cases]. / Une forme particulière de la maladie lupique; le lupus cutané profond. A propos de deux observations

Deep cutaneous lupus is a clinical form of lupus disease for which a very old description has recently been brought up to date. Two new cases are reported here and a review of the literature makes it possible to analyse the clinical, biochemical, histological, and immunological features of this panniculitis. Different from the Weber-Christian syndrome, it is characterized by repeated eruptions of nodules and/or subcutaneous plaques, and histologically by vasculitis, lymphocyte infiltration, and sometimes te presence of immunoglobulins on the basal dermal membrane and around the vessels.