Spinal Extradural Arteriovenous Fistula with Cowden Syndrome: A Case Report and Literature Review Regarding Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Strategy.

We report the case of a patient with a spinal extradural arteriovenous fistula (AVF) associated with Cowden syndrome (CS) that was successfully treated by endovascular surgery. CS is an autosomal dominant disorder associated with diverse symptoms caused by a deleterious mutation in the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) gene. A 67-year-old woman was diagnosed with CS based on her medical history of multiple cancers for which she underwent abdominal surgery, macrocephaly, Lhermitte-Duclos disease, and facial papules. Her genetic testing demonstrated a PTEN mutation. She presented with progressive paraparesis and her MRI of the thoracolumbar spine showed the spinal cord edema along with flow voids. A spinal angiogram demonstrated a spinal extradural AVF with the perimedullary drainage. The AVF was successfully treated by endovascular surgery. The PTEN mutation can accelerate angiogenesis; thus, vascular anomalies are one of the diagnostic criteria of CS. However, only two cases of vascular anomalies involving the spinal cord in patients with CS have been reported previously. As the present case, both cases had a history of abdominal or retroperitoneal cancer. The PTEN mutation accompanied with abdominal surgery might have caused this vascular anomaly as the consequences of venous congestion around the thoracolumbar spine. A spinal extradural AVF should be considered in patients with CS who present with myelopathy, especially when the patient has a history of abdominal or retroperitoneal surgery. Regarding the treatment strategy, endovascular surgery should be considered because surgical insult could prompt secondary vascular anomalies resulting from neovascularization due to the PTEN mutation.

Concomitant Intracranial and Lumbar Chronic Subdural Hematoma Treated by Fluoroscopic Guided Lumbar Puncture: A Case Report and Literature Review.

A 40-year-old man presented with a severe headache, lower back pain, and lower abdominal pain 1 month after a head injury caused by falling. Computed tomography (CT) of the head demonstrated bilateral chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) with a significant amount in the left frontoparietal region. At the same time, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine also revealed CSDH from L2 to S1 level. A simple drainage for the intracranial CSDH on the left side was performed. Postoperatively, the headache was improved; however, the lower back and abdominal pain persisted. Aspiration of the liquefied spinal subdural hematoma was performed by a lumbar puncture under fluoroscopic guidance. The clinical symptoms were dramatically improved postoperatively. Concomitant intracranial and spinal CSDH is considerably rare so only 23 cases including the present case have been reported in the literature so far. The etiology and therapeutic strategy were discussed with a review of the literature. Therapeutic strategy is not established for these two concomitant lesions. Conservative follow-up was chosen for 14 cases, resulting in a favorable clinical outcome. Although surgical evacuation of lumbosacral CSDH was performed in seven cases, an alteration of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure following spinal surgery should be reminded because of the intracranial lesion. Since CSDH is well liquefied in both intracranial and spinal lesion, a less invasive approach is recommended not only for an intracranial lesion but also for spinal lesion. Fluoroscopic-guided lumbar puncture for lumbosacral CSDH following burr hole surgery for intracranial CSDH could be a recommended strategy.

Effects of combination of whey protein intake and rehabilitation on muscle strength and daily movements in patients with hip fracture in the early postoperative period.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Elderly patients can be at risk of protein catabolism and malnutrition in the early postoperative period. Whey protein includes most essential amino acids and stimulates the synthesis of muscle protein. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of resistance training in combination with whey protein intake in the early postoperative period. METHODS: We randomized patients to a whey protein group or a control group. The former group received 32.2 g of whey protein pre- and post-rehabilitation in the early postoperative period for two weeks. Outcomes were knee extension strength on either side by Biodex 4.0, and the ability of transfer, walking, toilet use and stair use by the Barthel Index (BI). We performed initial and final assessments in the second and tenth rehabilitation sessions. RESULTS: A total of 38 patients were recruited: 20 in the whey protein group and 18 in the control group. Participants in the whey protein group showed significantly greater improvement in knee extension strength in the operated limb compared with the control group (F = 6.11, P = 0.02). The non-operated limb also showed a similar tendency (F = 3.51, P = 0.07). The abilities of transfer, walking and toilet use showed greater improvements in the whey protein group than in the control group by BI (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The combination of whey protein intake and rehabilitation for two weeks in the early postoperative period has a beneficial effect on knee extension strength in both lower limbs and BI (transfer, walking and toilet use) scores in patients with hip fracture.