The First Case of Concurrent Infective Endocarditis and Spondylitis Caused by Streptococcus tigurinus

No abstract available.

Use of linezolid to treat MRSP bacteremia and discospondylitis in a dog.

A 1.5 yr old male German shepherd dog was evaluated for recurrent intermittent episodes of fever and lethargy. Clinicopathologic abnormalities were suggestive of a discospondylitis at the seventh and eighth thoracic vertebrae. Blood and urine cultures yielded growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) that was resistant to all commonly used antibiotics. Extralabel antibiotic susceptibility testing demonstrated susceptibility of both blood and urine isolates to linezolid. The prescribed dose was extrapolated from pharmacokinetic (PK) studies and the isolate's plasma minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Linezolid was administered for 23 wk and resulted in successful resolution of bacteremia, bacteriuria, and discospondylitis. When justified, linezolid should be considered to treat methicillin-resistant infections.

Paraplegia caused by spinal infection after acupuncture.

STUDY DESIGN: Case report of a 64-year-old man with psoas abscesses, epidural abscess and spondylitis after acupuncture. OBJECTIVE: To report a case of paraplegia caused by spinal infection after acupuncture. SETTING: Seoul, Korea. CASE REPORT: A 64-year-old man came to an emergency room because of severe back pain. At 3 days prior to visit, the patient received acupuncture therapy to the low back with a needle about 10 cm in length because of back pain. Pain was aggravated gradually for 3 days. Escherichia coli sepsis developed with altered mentality during admission. At hospital day 9, he regained his consciousness and was found to have paraplegia. Abdominal computerized tomography (CT) and lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed abscesses of bilateral psoas muscles and spondylitis with epidural abscess. After conservative management with intravenous administration of antibiotics, infection was controlled but the patient remained paraplegic (ASIA scale C L1 level) without neurological recovery. CONCLUSION: Paraplegia might result from complications of an acupuncture therapy.

[The rehabilitative therapy of patients with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and manifestations of hypermobility bv means of therapeutic physical exercise]. / Vosstanovitel'naia terapiia bol'nykh osteokhondrozom sheinogo otdela pozvonochnika s iavleniiami gipermobil'nosti sredstvami lechebnoi fizicheskoi kul'tury.

The problems of cervical spine osteochondrosis with hypermobility are of great medical and social significance. Physical rehabilitation methods can improve effectiveness of basic drug therapy. These include isometric exercises, postisometric muscle relaxation, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, postural exercises and special massage.

[Epidural computed electroneurography and electrostimulation of the spinal cord in the reconstructive surgery of the spine in tuberculous spondylitis]. / Epiduralnaia kompíuternaia életrospinoneirografiia i élektrostimuliatsiia spinnogo mozga v rekonstruktivnoi khirurgii pozvonochnika pri tuberkulëznom spondilite.

The study deals with the development of new diagnostic and therapeutical methods for deep spinal marrow diseases in spinal tuberculosis and its sequelae. The human spinal marrow has been first electroneurophysiologically studied during compression of the spine and ofter its anterolateral decompression. A comprehensive diagnostic technique--computed electrospinoneurography has been proposed; objective criteria for prediction and evaluation of therapeutical efficiency have been defined. The proposed epidural electrostimulation following a surgery for anterolateral decompression of the spine accelerates regression of neurological symptoms and increases the extent of its regression in 89.2% of cases in the early postoperative period and enhances the efficacy of prior operations up to 83.9% in the long-term period. The high efficiency of the method is 87.1%, which allows it to be recommended for introduction into clinical practice.

[Pelotherapy in ischemic heart disease]. / Peloidoterapiia pri ishemicheskoi bolezni serdtsa.

Immediate and long-term responses to pelotherapy were evaluated in 80 patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) combined with osteochondrosis. The effect was registered in 75-82% of the IHD patients with painless disease or angina pectoris functional class II and III. The clinical improvement was confirmed by 24-hour ECG monitoring findings and bicycle ergometry results. The effect persisted for 12 months in the majority of patients with IHD functional class II and with painless IHD, but only in 15% of those with IHD functional class III. Contraindications to peloids are specified.

[The treatment of the pain syndrome in spinal osteochondrosis]. / Lechenie bolevogo sindroma pri osteokhondroze pozvonochnika.

A method of the treatment of the painful syndrome in spinal osteochondrosis is suggested. It lies in the action on functionally significant points specific for each level of injury. To establish blockades, use is made of the preparations on the basis of snake venom, administered intracutaneously or of nitrous oxide injected subcutaneously. Blockades are made once every 4 days. In the majority of cases, the beneficial effect was attained after 1 to 3 sessions. The maximum number of blockades was 6-7 in patients with a severe pattern of the painful syndrome. Out of 240 patients with spinal osteochondrosis, good clinical effect was achieved in 237 patients. The time of the patients' stay at the hospital reduced from 31.5 to 12-18 bed days. The high efficacy of the method suggested, simplicity of performance and minimal expenditures permit recommending it as one of the methods for the treatment of the painful syndrome associated with spinal osteochondrosis.

[The effectiveness of the health resort treatment of patients with diseases of the locomotor apparatus]. / Effektivnost' kurortnogo lecheniia bol'nykh s zabolevaniiami oporno-dvigatel'nogo apparata.

A study of 80 patients with spinal osteochondrosis and 27 patients with osteochondrosis deformans revealed high efficacy of treatment at the "Marcial Waters" health results (Karelian SSR). The authors developed methods of analgesiometry permitting to evaluate objectively treatment results.

[Objective assessment of the treatment results in patients with disseminated spinal osteochondrosis]. / Ob''ektivizatsiia rezul'tatov lecheniia bol'nykh s rasprostranennym osteokhondrozom pozvonochnika.

The authors have investigated the possibility of objectivization of the treatment of the patients with osteochondrosis of the spine. 86 patients with spinal osteochondrosis and 149 patients with cervical osteochondrosis have been studied, all of whom were treated with variable vibromagnetic field and kinesitherapy. It has been established that the patients' tissues in the area of the biologically active points acquire diode properties (which normally are the electric current conductors). The conduction above the biologically active points after the treatment is restored.

[Diagnosis of vertebral diseases by vertebral biopsy]. / Diagnostik von Wirbelsäulenerkrankungen durch Wirbelpunktion.

Vertebral biopsies were performed in 28 patients, 17 males and 11 females, because of vertebral body and disc changes between June 1978 and May 1982. In two patients biopsy was performed in two segments. Punctures were done in local and superficial anaesthesia of the vertebral body periosteum during continuous fluoroscopy control using Jamshidi's instrumentation. Aspiration and tissue cylinders were evaluated histologically and bacteriologically. There were no complications among the 8 thoracic and 22 lumbar biopsies. A histologic diagnosis could be established in 22 cases (78.6%): plasmocytoma (n = 2), spontaneous deformation of the spine in osteoporosis (n = 3), Scheuermann's disease (n = 1), specific (n = 2) and nonspecific (n = 14) spondylitis. Demonstration of bacteria was possible in 5 out of the 16 cases of spondylitis (31.25%): in two cases tubercle bacilli were demonstrated and once each salmonella group B, Haemophilus aphrophilus and coagulase-negative staphylococci. Only in 6 cases a diagnosis could not be established from the biopsy material.

[Needle puncture of the intervertebral disk foci in the bacteriological diagnosis of infectious spondylodiscitis. Technic and results]. / La ponction ã l'aiguille du foyer disco-vertébral pour le diagnostic bactériologique des spondylodiscites infectieuses. Technique et résultats

Clinical, laboratory, and radiological data do not make possible a certain diagnosis of infectious spondylitis: errors are thus possible, even frequent, and are harmful to the patient. In order to ensure a certain diagnosis and to avoid exploratory surgery as far as possible, the authors propose systematic needle puncture of the inververtebral disk--a technique that is simple and inoffensive to carry out in all disks below T4, and that, in a series of 18 cases, gave a success rate of 2 out of 3 (11 positive results). The technique, the results and the factors essential for success are described and analysed.