May Measurement Month 2019: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Ecuador.

Arterial hypertension is a growing burden worldwide, leading to over 10.8 million deaths each year. In Ecuador, it is the main risk factor for the major cause of death, coronary, and cerebrovascular disease [GBD 2017 Risk Factor Collaborators. Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioral, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet 2018;392:1923-1994]. The May Measurement Month Campaign in 2019 (MMM19) is a global initiative of the International Society of Hypertension aimed at raising awareness of high blood pressure (BP) and to act as a temporary solution to the lack of screening programs worldwide. A volunteer cross-sectional survey was carried out in May 2019 across 42 health centres in Ecuador. The average age was 51 (SD ±17.6) years. Blood pressure measurement, the definition of hypertension (mean of the second and third BP measurement ≥140/90 mmHg or who were medicated for high BP), and statistical analysis followed the standard MMM protocol. In total, 15 885 volunteers participated in MMM19. After multiple imputation, 6654 (41.9%) had hypertension. Of individuals not receiving antihypertensive medication, 2383 (20.5%) were hypertensive. Of individuals receiving antihypertensive medication, 1004 (23.5%) had uncontrolled BP. May Measurement Month 2019 was the largest BP screening campaign done in Ecuador. In the survey, including 6654 participants with hypertension, only 49.1% had their BP values controlled (<140/90 mmHg). May Measurement Month 2019 demonstrated a high prevalence of hypertension among volunteer screenees in our country. The high percentage of persons untreated or with uncontrolled hypertension while on pharmacologic treatment suggest that appropriate screening can help to identify a significant number of people with high BP. These data should attract the attention of health care providers and the healthcare system in Ecuador.

May Measurement Month 2018: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Ecuador.

Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a growing burden worldwide, leading to over 10 million deaths each year. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global initiative by the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) aimed at raising awareness of high BP and to act as a temporary solution to the lack of screening programmes worldwide. An opportunistic cross-sectional survey of volunteers aged ≥18 was carried out in May 2018. A volunteer cross-sectional survey was carried out in May 2017 across 33 health centres. Blood pressure measurement, the definition of hypertension (HTN) (mean of the 2nd and 3rd BP measurement ≥ 140/90 mmHg or who were medicated for high BP), and statistical analysis followed the standard MMM protocol. In total, 11 922 individuals (53.7% female) were screened during MMM18. After multiple imputation, 4563 (38.3%) had HTN. Of individuals not receiving antihypertensive medication, 1302 (15.0%) were hypertensive. Of individuals receiving antihypertensive medication, 933 (28.6%) had uncontrolled BP. MMM18 was the largest BP screening campaign done in Ecuador. Hypertension was detected in 38.4% of those screened and almost 4 out of 10 were either not on treatment or were not controlled to the BP goal. These results suggest that appropriate screening can help to identify a significant number of people with high BP. These data should attract the attention of doctors and health care system in Ecuador.

[Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea from a transclival meningocele: A case report and literature review]. / Rinorraquia secundaria a meningocele transclival. A propósito de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

The most common site of CSF leakage is the floor of the anterior cranial fossa, and less commonly in the sphenoid sinus. Only 3-4% of CSF fistulas are spontaneous. The fourth case is presented of a CSF rhinorrhea due to a transclival meningocele, an extremely rare location for these lesions, and the surgical approach. The patient is a 39-year-old male with no history of trauma, and a recent history of watery rhinorrhe and meningitis. CT scan and MRI showed clival bone defect and trans-sphenoidal transclival meningocele. The defect was repaired by transclival trans-sphenoidal endoscopic endonasal approach with good results. Despite the rarity of transclival meningocele, it is recommended to consider it in the differential diagnosis of spontaneous nasal fistulas. The endoscopic endonasal approach is a direct technique that provides satisfactory results in the resolution of CSF rhinorrhea.

Surgical management of chronic traumatic pseudomeningocele of the craniocervical junction: case report.

PURPOSE: Chronic traumatic pseudomeningocele (PM) is a rare complication of gunshot injuries of the craniocervical junction in pediatric patients. Impairment of the CSF dynamics may cause severe symptoms and should be treated. METHODS: We report the case of a 6-year-old girl who was accidentally shot in the neck during tribal clashes. On being admitted, she was neurologically intact with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage through the wounds. She underwent primary closure of the wounds in a rural medical facility. After two episodes of meningitis, CSF leakage resolved spontaneously. Nine months later, the patient was presented with a disfiguring mass growing in the posterior neck, severe headaches, and constitutional symptoms such as loss of appetite and a failure to thrive. RESULTS: Neurosurgical intervention was performed with the patient in the prone position. Occipital pericranium graft was used to repair the defect, and the cavity of the PM was obliterated with muscle layers. The patient's symptoms improved at 1 year follow-up without PM recurrence. CONCLUSION: This is a rare presentation of gunshot injuries in an environment with limited neurosurgical resources. Restoring the normal pattern of CSF circulation should be the aim of any neurosurgical intervention.

Rinorraquia secundaria a meningocele transclival. A propósito de un caso y revisión de la literatura / Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea from a transclival meningocele: a case report and literature review

El lugar más común de fístulas de líquido cefalorraquídeo (LCR) es el suelo de la fosa craneal anterior, menos comúnmente el seno esfenoidal. Solo el 3-4% de fístulas de LCR son espontáneas. Nosotros presentamos el cuarto caso clínico de rinorraquia secundaria a meningocele transclival, lugar muy poco común de asiento de estas lesiones, y discutimos la vía de abordaje. Varón de 39años, sin antecedentes de traumatismo previo, historia reciente de salida de líquido transparente a través de las ventanas nasales y cuadro de meningitis. La tomografía computarizada y la resonancia magnética mostraron el defecto óseo clival y meningocele transclival. El defecto fue reparado mediante abordaje endonasal endoscópico transesfenoidal transclival con resultado favorable. A pesar de la rareza del meningocele transclival, se recomienda considerarlo en el diagnóstico diferencial de las fístulas nasales espontáneas. El abordaje endonasal endoscópico es una técnica directa que ofrece resultados satisfactorios en la resolución de rinorrea de LCR

The most common site of CSF leakage is the floor of the anterior cranial fossa, and less commonly in the sphenoid sinus. Only 3-4% of CSF fistulas are spontaneous. The fourth case is presented of a CSF rhinorrhea due to a transclival meningocele, an extremely rare location for these lesions, and the surgical approach. The patient is a 39-year-old male with no history of trauma, and a recent history of watery rhinorrhe and meningitis. CT scan and MRI showed clival bone defect and trans-sphenoidal transclival meningocele. The defect was repaired by transclival trans-sphenoidal endoscopic endonasal approach with good results. Despite the rarity of transclival meningocele, it is recommended to consider it in the differential diagnosis of spontaneous nasal fistulas. The endoscopic endonasal approach is a direct technique that provides satisfactory results in the resolution of CSF rhinorrhea

Hidrocefalia con Presión Normal

La Hidrocefalia con Presión Normal (HPN) es un síndrome que cursa con alteraciones de la marcha, demencia y alteraciones esfinterianas. Fisiopatológicamente se cree que se debe a una obstrucción del flujo normal del Líquido Céfalo Raquídeo (LCR) sobre la convexidad cerebral y a un trastorno de su absorción hacia el sistema venoso (1). La naturaleza indolente del trastorno provoca un agrandamiento de los ventrículos laterales, aunque con un aumento relativamente pequeño de la presión del LCR. Algunos pacientes con HPN tienen antecedentes de procesos que pueden producir una cicatrización de las meninges de la base del cerebro (bloqueando el flujo del LCR hacia arriba), como meningitis, hemorragias subaracnoideas, traumatismos craneales posteriores (1), o intervenciones quirúrgicas intracraneales o espinales (2). Actualmente el tratamiento es quirúrgico y consiste en la ejecución de una Derivación Ventricular. Con la presentación de este paciente se pretende ejemplificar la relación existente entre los trastornos cerebrales y la aparición de síntomas psiquiátricos, además de la importancia que tiene para el médico general básico poder identificar y diagnosticar este tipo de trastorno, con el fin de realizar una oportuna remisión y tratamiento precoz para evitar complicaciones(AU)

Por qué no es necesario suturar el peritoneo / Why it is not necessary to suturar the peritoneum

Motivadas por la tradición que hemos observado en nuestro medio y por la revisión de la literatura sobre la importancia que tiene suturar o no el peritoneo cuando se realiza una laparotomía, decidimos realizar un estudio prospectivo y comparativo para demostrar si es necesario o no suturarlo con el fin de evitar eventraciones o hernias incisionales. Se tomaron dos grupos de 100 pacientes cada uno con características similares, operados por dos grupos de cirujanos, un grupo dejó en todos los casos el peritoneo abierto y el otro lo suturó. Se dejaron pasar dos años y se revisaron los expedientes con el fin de obtener la información necesaria para el estudio. El resultado fue de una eventración y una hernia incisional en el grupo en que se dejó el peritoneo abierto y cuatro eventraciones y cinco hernias incisionales en el grupo en que se suturo el peritoneo. Palabras clave: Peritoneo, sutura, cirugía.