Bilateral Iatrogenic Femoral Neuropathy

Dear Editor, Postoperative femoral neuropathy is an uncommon complication associated with pelvic/abdominal surgery. The main mechanism underlying this neuropathy is stretching and/or prolonged compression of the nerve.1,2 The nerve compression can be caused by the self-retaining retractors that are sometimes used during surgery directly constricting the nerve against the pelvic sidewall and inducing ischemia.1 Symptoms of femoral neuropathy are weakness of ipsilateral hip flexion and knee extension, and sensory deficit on the anteromedial thigh. The prognosis is generally good, with partial or complete recovery being common. Postoperative femoral neuropathy is generally unilateral2,3,4; bil…

Tracheostomy mechanical ventilation in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Clinical features and survival analysis

article i nfo Background: Tracheostomy mechanical ventilation (TMV) is performed in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with a respiratory failure or when the non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is no longer effective. We evaluated the clinical characteristics and survival of a cohort of tracheostomized ALS patients, followed in a single ALS Clinical Center. Methods: Between 2001 and 2010, 87 out of 279 ALS patients were submitted to TMV. Onset was spinal in 62 and bulbar in 25. After tracheostomy, most patients were followed up through telephone interviews to caregivers. A complete survival analysis could be performed in fifty-two TMV patients. Results: 31.3% ALS patients underwent tra…

Sporadic Parkinson disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis complex (Brait-Fahn-Schwartz disease).

Clinical evidence for parkinsonism may accompany Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis with a frequency ranging from 5% to 17%. The concurrence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease, outside the known Guam and Kii Peninsula foci, is instead rare, but this raises the possibility of a common pathogenesis. Clinically this complex presents with a levodopa-responsive parkinsonism and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and has been termed Brait-Fahn-Schwartz disease. Here we describe two patients with this uncommon neurodegenerative complex. Both presented with Parkinson disease and progressed to a full blown Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. We further suggest that the association of Parkinso…

Working-Age Cataract Patients: Visual Results, Reading Performance, and Quality of Life with Three Diffractive Multifocal Intraocular Lenses

Purpose To compare the visual outcomes, reading performance, and quality of life (QoL) of working-age cataractous patients bilaterally implanted with 3 different diffractive multifocal intraocular lenses (MIOLs). Design Two-center, randomized, prospective, double-masked study. Participants Sixty-three consecutive patients (126 eyes) seen at Ophthalmology Section, Palermo and Florence University, Italy, randomized to receive the ReSTOR SN6AD3 (Alcon Laboratories, Inc, Irvine, CA) (20 patients, group A), ReSTOR SN6AD1 (Alcon Laboratories, Inc) (21 patients, group B), or TECNIS ZMA00 (Abbott Medical Optics, Santa Ana, CA) (22 patients, group C) MIOL. Intervention Phacoemulsification. Main Outc…

dilatazione pupillare farmacologica come test predittivo del rischio di IFIS.

IOL Multifocali di II e III generazione: performance visiva e capacità di lettura