The effect of ulnar variance on the pisotriquetral joint.

BACKGROUND: Pisotriquetral joint (PTJ) disorders are an important cause of ulnar-sided wrist pain but are often underrecognized. Ulnar variance (UV) has been associated with several wrist pathologies. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of UV on PTJ in patients with trauma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 143 patients (77 men, 66 women; mean age=41.64 ± 18.07 years) were included. Patients with fractures, severe and high-energy trauma, arthritic conditions, avascular necrosis, congenital deformity, bone and soft-tissue tumors, suboptimal image quality, and incorrect joint position were excluded. UV and the amount of PTJ subluxation were evaluated using coronal and sagittal computed tomography images. RESULTS: PTJ subluxation was divided into five grades. A statistically significant difference was found between the presence of PTJ subluxation and sex (P = 0.045). PTJ subluxation was more common in men (46.8%) than in women (30.3%). There was no significant difference between the presence of PTJ subluxation and age (P = 0.758). The patients were also divided into three groups as positive, neutral, and negative UV. A statistically significant relationship was found between the UV and presence of PTJ subluxation (P = 0.01). PTJ subluxation was significantly less in the neutral (none=51.1%, present=48.9%; P < 0.05) and negative (none=77.8%, present=22.2%; P < 0.05) groups. CONCLUSION: PTJ subluxation was found to be less among the groups with neutral and negative UV in our study population. PTJ subluxation is more common in men while there is no relationship with age. UV and gender may be risk factors for PTJ subluxation by affecting force dynamics at the wrist joint.

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma mimicking granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

Upper respiratory tract involvement is common in patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), but malignancies should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis. A 68-year-old man was referred to rheumatology to investigate for GPA after nasal excisional biopsy. After careful radiologic and pathologic assessment, he was diagnosed with peripheral T­cell lymphoma, nasal type. This is a rare case of T­cell lymphoma in a patient who was referred as GPA.

Searching for the cheese: does ethmoid pneumatization affect the location of the anterior ethmoid artery?

Endoscopic sinus surgery is a widely used technique in otolaryngologic practice. To avoid complications, the locations of important anatomical structures, such as the anterior ethmoid artery (AEA), should be determined preoperatively. We want to evaluate the effect of ethmoid cavity pneumatization on the location of the AEA and to determine consistent landmark(s) for locating the AEA. 524 consecutive patients undergoing sinus CT scans between February and October 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. After the exclusion criteria were applied, 150 CT scans (300 sides) were selected for the study. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between ethmoid pneumatization and the distance of the AEA to the attachment of the inferior turbinate to the lateral nasal wall (Spearman's rho = 0.305; p < 0.001). Likewise, a statistically significant positive correlation was found between ethmoid pneumatization and the distance between the AEA and the frontonasal junction (Spearman's rho = 0.219; p < 0.001). We found that the artery was located mostly between the second and third lamellae [n 211 (71 %) cases]. There was no statistically significant correlation between ethmoid pneumatization and AEA location in terms of the lamellae. Increased ethmoid volume increases the distance of the AEA from the frontonasal junction and the lateral attachment of the inferior turbinate. However, increased pneumatization of the ethmoid cavity did not affect AEA localization in terms of the lamellae. Based on our findings, we suggest that using the lamellae to locate the AEA is reliable.

Synovial sarcoma of the infratemporal fossa with intracranial extension.

Synovial sarcomas (SS) account for 7-8% of soft-tissue cancers and 3-5% of all cases with head and neck involvement. Synovial sarcoma of the infratemporal fossa is very rare In this article, we report the fourth case of SS of infratemporal fossa and the first case with intracranial extension via the foramen ovale. A 31-year-old man admitted with a one-year history of intense pain in his right jaw. On physical examination, there was only hyperesthesia over the right mandible side. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a mass in the infratemporal fossa and intracranial extension from the foramen ovale. The mass was surgically removed en bloc. Postoperative pathological examination reported the mass as a biphasic-type synovial sarcoma. The patient who received postoperative chemoradiotherapy had no recurrent disease for one year. The patient is still being followed in our clinic.

Successful Localization of Abnormal Parathyroid Gland Using Ultrasound-Guided Methylene Blue Dye Injection in the Reoperative Neck.

Persistent or recurrent hyperparathyroidism is a challenging problem for endocrine surgeons. The aim of this study was to review our experience using ultrasound-guided (US-G) methylene blue dye injection for the localization and removal of abnormal parathyroid glands in patients having primary hyperparathyroidism and previous neck surgery. Between January 2012 and May 2013, six consecutive patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and previous neck surgery underwent focused parathyroidectomy with the use of US-G methylene blue dye injections to localize the presumed parathyroid adenoma were included in the study. We analyzed the data of six patients who underwent reoperative parathyroid surgery using US-G methylene blue dye injection retrospectively. The dye injection was performed just prior to surgery. All patients were successfully treated for their hyperparathyroidism which was confirmed by at least 50 % drop in intraoperative parathormone level 10 min after resection. There were no complications related with US-G dye injection or with surgery. US-G methylene blue dye injection is a cheap, safe, and effective method for localization of diseased parathyroid glands and guiding surgery in the reoperative neck.

New technique for the treatment of bilateral vocal cord paralysis: Vocal and ventricular fold lateralization using crossing sutures with thyroplasty technique.

CONCLUSION: All patients treated with this new lateralization technique had a good quality of life and no dyspnea at rest or upon exertion. We believe that this technique is an important addition to the many surgical techniques for the treatment of bilateral vocal cord paralysis (BVCP). OBJECTIVES: Most techniques used in the treatment of BVCP result in a prolapse of the laryngeal soft tissues into the endolarynx owing to Bernoulli's principle. We have developed a new lateralization technique to more effectively prevent this prolapse. METHODS: The lateralization was initially tested on six cadaver larynges before being performed in five clinical cases with BVCP, who suffered from dyspnea at rest. Average follow-up was 17.6 months. As in type 1 thyroplasty, a rectangular piece of cartilage was excised horizontally from the thyroid lamina and placed on the defect in the vertical plane. Then, the vocal and ventricular folds were lateralized with crossing sutures, particularly in the posterior region. RESULTS: Dyspnea was eliminated postoperatively. All patients were successfully decannulated. Postoperative voice quality was socially acceptable. Airways were improved postoperatively, as evaluated via fiberoptic laryngoscopy and CT. The mean preoperative and postoperative rima openings were 1.3 mm (range 0.5-2.6) and 6.4 mm (range 3.4-8.1), respectively.