A case of severe sciatica caused by a lymphocele after renal transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Sciatica is commonly caused by lumbar spinal disease. However, it can also be caused by tumors, infectious diseases, or muscle entrapment. We present a case of sciatica caused by a lymphocele after renal transplantation. PRESENTATION: A 50-year-old man who had undergone renal transplantation presented with sciatica and low back pain without leg edema. The patient was diagnosed with lumbar disc herniation during the first medical examination. Regardless of the treatment, the symptoms were exacerbated and red flag signs of low back pain were observed. Compression of the sciatic nerve by the lymphocele was confirmed by computed tomography. The sciatica was improved by ethanol injection for the lymphocele. CONCLUSIONS: We encountered a rare case of severe sciatica without edema caused by lymphocele after renal transplantation. Careful examination is required to make a different diagnosis of lymphocele from other lumbar spinal diseases.

Factors affecting the early post-operative prognosis in morbidly obese surgical patients after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy - a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The number of morbidly obese patients who have undergone bariatric surgery has been gradually increasing in Japan. These obese patients are often complicated with metabolic, cardiac, respiratory, and other diseases. The aim of this study was to analyze the perioperative clinical course in a retrospective cohort with respect to the utility of anesthesia management in order to prevent longer hospital stays after surgery. FINDINGS: Sixty-seven morbidly obese patients who had undergone sleeve gastrectomy were divided into two groups, based upon the duration of postoperative hospital stay; group S was comprised of the patients who were discharged within 5 days after surgery (n = 57) and group L was comprised of those who were discharged after 6 days or more (n = 10). The mean duration of the hospital stay was 4.8 ± 0.4 days and 7.8 ± 1.4 days in groups S and L, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that prolonged anesthesia was a predictor of a longer postoperative hospital stay (p < 0.05). While the difference in BMI was not significantly different, the percentage of patients with BMI ≥ 50 was 12 and 30% in groups S and L, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Longer duration of anesthesia affected the duration of postoperative hospital stay in morbidly obese patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy. In addition, patients with BMI ≥ 50 might be at risk of longer hospitalization after surgery.

Japanese traditional herbal medicine reduces use of pregabalin and opioids for pain in patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: There has been an increase in the number of Japanese patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS) who complain of chronic pain or motor disturbance in the lower back or extremities. These patients are often treated with anti-convulsive drugs, opioids, antidepressants, acetaminophen, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, all of which can cause side effects. For this reason, Japanese traditional herbal medicine (Kampo) is of interest, because it produces fewer adverse reactions. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to analyze the effects of Kampo in patients with LSCS. FINDINGS: A total of 151 patients with LSCS were divided into two groups based on treatment with (n = 111, group K) and without (n = 40, group N) Kampo. Use of pregabalin and opioids decreased significantly in group K (p < 0.001). The hazard ratio for opioid discontinuation was 0.220 (p = 0.004) for group N vs. group K, while that for pregabalin and antidepressants discontinuation were 0.589 (p = 0.202) and 0.509 (p = 0.377), respectively. The mean duration of hospital visits and treatment did not differ between the groups, but the number of dropouts was significantly higher in group N (p < 0.0001). The hazard ratio for patient dropout was 4.118 (p = 0.001) for group N vs. group K. CONCLUSIONS: Kampo led to discontinuation of opioid use for pain in patients with LSCS, and patients who were treated with Kampo were more likely to continue treatment.

[Spinal anesthesia for cesarean section in a patient with multiple sclerosis].

Spinal anesthesia is thought to be contraindicated for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). We describe the case of a patient with MS who was administered spinal anesthesia for cesarean section. A 29-year-old woman (weight 55.8 kg, height 154 cm) with MS underwent an urgent cesarean section in the 39th week of her pregnancy for fetal malpresentation. Although the patient had experienced repeated relapses of MS thrice since she was 19, she had remained in remission since the age of 27, and did not have significant neurological disability. A 27 G needle (pencil type) was used for arachnoid puncture, and 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine (2.0 ml) was administered to the subarachnoid space at the L3-4 interspace. After confirming that the sensory blockade after spinal anesthesia had spread to T4, cesarean section was performed. For the subsequent 19 months, no remission of MS was recognized. Thus, spinal anesthesia does not seem to be contraindicated for patients with MS in remission state.

The usefulness of near-infrared spectroscopy in the anesthetic management of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) may be a useful method for monitoring the regional oxygen saturation (rSO(2)) of the lower extremity during endovascular aortic repair. Eighteen patients with thoracic descending and/or abdominal aortic aneurysm were enrolled in this study. NIRS probes were placed bilaterally on the calves. Muscular rSO(2) (mrSO(2)) was monitored every 30 s throughout the operation. In the leg in which the femoral artery was clamped, mrSO(2) values were selected at 3 or 4 points-just before clamping (control value), 30 min after clamping, 10 min after the first declamping, and 10 min after the second declamping following repair of the femoral artery, if necessary. In all patients, mrSO(2) decreased significantly during clamping, from 64 ± 11 % (mean ± SD) of the control value to 32 ± 15 %. After declamping, mrSO(2) recovered to 69 ± 14 % of the control value in 16 patients. In the 2 other patients, however, mrSO(2) did not recover after the first declamping, because of femoral artery dissection. After additional repair, mrSO(2) recovered quickly to the control value. These data suggested NIRS may objectively and quantitatively reflect oxygenation of the lower extremities, and may indicate an ischemic event that needs additional repair during endovascular aortic repair.

Multiple-deep-breath inhalation induction with 5% sevoflurane and 67% nitrous oxide: comparison with intravenous injection of propofol.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of multiple-deep-breath inhalation induction with sevoflurane and nitrous oxide followed by the same inhalational anesthetics for maintenance, we compared the technique with intravenous propofol anesthesia. METHODS: Forty patients scheduled for ophthalmic surgery under general anesthesia with a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) were assigned to two groups. Anesthesia was induced with multiple-deep-breath inhalation of 5% sevoflurane and 67% nitrous oxide in oxygen (group S: n = 20) or intravenous injection of 1% propofol at the rate of 1200 ml.h(-1) with spontaneous inhalation of 67% nitrous oxide in oxygen until the patient lost consciousness or received propofol up to 2 mg.kg(-1) (group P: n = 20). We attempted to insert an LMA when the patient's jaw relaxation was adequate. We compared induction times, recovery times, occurrence of adverse events, and patient satisfaction between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean time to insertion of the LMA was significantly shorter in group P (209 +/- 118 s) than in group S (302 +/- 102 s; P < 0.05). The recovery times did not differ significantly between the groups. There were no serious side effects during the induction and recovery period in either group. Significantly more patients in group P than in group S wanted to have the same anesthetic method (90% vs 50%; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Multiple-deep-breath inhalation induction with 5% sevoflurane and 67% nitrous oxide followed by the same inhalational anesthetics for maintenance was safely performed without serious adverse events. However, the induction time was shorter and patient satisfaction was higher in propofol group than in the inhalational group.