Recurrent lumbar disc herniation: A prospective comparative study of three surgical management procedures.

CONTEXT: The optimal surgical treatment of recurrent lumbar disc herniation is controversial. AIM: To compare prospectively the clinical outcomes of surgical treatment of recurrent lumbar disc herniation by three different methods; discectomy alone, discectomy with transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF), and diecectomy with posterolateral fusion (PLF), regardless of the postoperative radiological findings. STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective, randomized, comparative study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective, randomized, comparative study on 45 patients with first time recurrent lumbar disc herniation. Patients were evaluated clinically by using the criteria of the Japanese Orthopedic Association's evaluation system for low back pain syndrome (JOA score). The patients were classified into three groups: Group A; patients who had revision discectomy alone, group B; patients who had revision discectomy with TLIF, and group C; patients who had revision discectomy with PLF. The mean follow-up period was 37 (±7.85 STD) months. RESULTS: The mean overall recovery rate was 87.2% (±19.26 STD) and the satisfactory rate was 88.9%. Comparison between the three groups showed no significant difference with regard to the mean total postoperative JOA score, recovery rate, and satisfactory rate. However, the postoperative low back pain was significantly higher in group A than that of group B and C. Two patients in group A required further revision surgery. The incidences of dural tear and postoperative neurological deficit were higher in group A. The intraoperative blood loss and length of operation were significantly less in group A. The total cost of the procedure was significantly different between the three groups, being least in group A and highest in group B. There was no significant difference between the three groups with regard to the length of postoperative hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Revision discectomy is effective in patients with recurrent lumbar disc herniation. Fusion with revision discectomy improves the postoperative low back pain, decreases the intraoperative risk of dural tear or neural damage and decreases the postoperative incidence of mechanical instability or re-recurrence. TLIF and PLF have comparable results when used with revision discectomy, but PLF has significantly less total cost than TLIF.

Metabolic stone composition in Egyptian children.

OBJECTIVE: The composition of urinary stones in children depends on socioeconomic conditions, geography and dietary habits. Pediatric urolithiasis remains endemic in developing countries. The aim of this study was to analyze stone composition in an Egyptian patient population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed prospectively urinary stones from 100 consecutive children (73 males, 27 females), aged 14 months to 12 years. The stones were located in the upper urinary tract in 78%, lower urinary tract in 19% and both in 3%. Male patients had more lower urinary tract stones. On presentation 67% had flank pain and 37% had hematuria. Stones were treated by open surgery in 69% of patients, shockwave lithotripsy in 20% and endoscopic extraction in 13%. RESULTS: The components of the upper urinary tract calculi were calcium oxalate (47%), ammonium acid urate (26%) and calcium carbonate (21%), whereas the main components of the lower urinary tract calculi were ammonium acid urate (27.2%), struvite (27.2%) and calcium carbonate (22.7%). Urinary tract infection was involved in the development of one third of the stones. Endemic stones were present in 17% of patients, and stones of metabolic origin in 15%. The etiology of stone formation remained unknown in one third of patients. CONCLUSION: The epidemiological profile of urinary stones in Egyptian children can now be considered intermediate between developing countries where dietary deficiencies are the main causes and developed countries where infectious and metabolic calculi are observed.

Polymerase chain reaction of pleural biopsy is a rapid and sensitive method for the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculous pleural effusion occurs in 30% of patients with tuberculosis (TB). Rapid diagnosis of a tuberculous pleural effusion would greatly facilitate the management of many patients. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been used to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis in pleural fluid with highly variable sensitivity. OBJECTIVE: To improve our laboratory diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion. METHODS: We applied PCR to detect DNA specific for M tuberculosis in 33 of the studied pleural biopsy specimens using an IS986-based primer that was specific for mycobacterium complex, and compared it to the results of pleural fluid and biopsy cultures performed on either Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) medium or BACTEC 12B liquid medium (Becton Dickinson Microbiology Systems; Cockeysville, MD), Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining, and histopathology in 45 patients with pleural effusion. RESULTS: Of the 45 patients with pleural effusion who were studied, 26 patients received diagnoses of tuberculous pleural effusion that had been confirmed by either culture and or histopathology, 10 patients received diagnoses of exudative effusion due to causes other than TB, and 9 patients received diagnoses of transudative effusion. Histopathology of the pleural biopsy specimen had a sensitivity of 53.8%. The sensitivity of the ZN staining of pleural fluid and biopsy specimens was 0.0% and 3.8%, respectively. The sensitivity of the culture on both BACTEC 12B liquid medium and LJ medium was higher in pleural biopsy specimens (92.3%) than in pleural fluid specimens (15.4%; p > 0.001). The improvements of the BACTEC culture system improved and shortened the detection time of M tuberculosis in pleural biopsy specimens. PCR of pleural biopsy specimens had 90% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The positive predictive value and the negative predictive value for pleural biopsy specimen cultures were 100% and 90.5% vs 100% and 86.7% for pleural biopsy specimen PCRs. CONCLUSION: The overall accuracy of PCR of pleural biopsy was similar to the results of pleural biopsy culture, however, PCR of the pleural biopsy was much faster in reaching diagnosis. PCR of pleural biopsy is a useful method when used in combination with the BACTEC culture system and histopathologic examination of pleural biopsy to reach a rapid diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion.