Search results for "Thoracic Vertebrae"
showing 10 items of 25 documents
Diabetic thoracic radiculopathy: a case of a young woman with clinical improvement following immunotherapy.
2020
Thoracic radiculopathy is a rare cause of thoracic-abdominal or abdominal pain in subjects with poorly controlled diabetes. We present a case of a young woman with type I diabetes and a severe abdominal pain in both lower quadrants. An extensive diagnostic gastroenterological and gynaecological workup did not disclose abnormalities. Electromyography revealed an initial polyneuropathy and significant neurogenic abnormalities in the T10-T12 paravertebral muscles. Following the hypothesis that the radiculopathy-related abdominal pain might have an immuno-mediated pathogenesis, the patient underwent a complex trial of immunotherapy, which was accompanied by a sustained improvement over months t…
Glia to neuron ratio in the posterior aspect of the human spinal cord at thoracic segments relevant to spinal cord stimulation.
2019
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) applied between T8 and T11 segments has been shown to be effective for the treatment of chronic pain of the lower back and limbs. However, the mechanism of the analgesic effect at these medullary levels remains unclear. Numerous studies relate glial cells with development and maintenance of chronic neuropathic pain. Glial cells are electrically excitable, which makes them a potential therapeutic target using SCS. The aim of this study is to report glia to neuron ratio in thoracic segments relevant to SCS, as well as to characterize the glia cell population at these levels. Dissections from gray and white matter of posterior spinal cord segments (T8, T9, interse…
Calcified Spinal Meningioma: A Lurking Danger
2017
Tumors of the spine with an intradural location have an incidence ranging from 3 to 10 per 100,000 persons per year, and intradural extramedullary tumors account for two thirds of all intraspinal neoplasms. Among these, spinal meningiomas account for 25%–46% of all spinal cord tumors. They develop from the arachnoid cells that differentiate from neural crest cells and, like cerebral meningioma, they have a slow-growing behavior. Although spinal meningiomas are not uncommon, calcified spinal meningioma is rare in spinal location. Calcified meningioma manifests with extensive matrix and tends to infiltrate the surrounding structures. It exhibits a growth pattern limited by an incompletely dev…
Thoracoscopic sympathectomy at the T2 or T3 level facilitates bradykinin-induced protein extravasation in human forearm skin.
2010
Background. The endogenous peptide bradykinin (BK) is an inflammatory mediator that induces nociceptor activation and sensitization as well as protein extravasation and vasodilation. Objective. To test the hypothesis if sympathectomy affects BK-induced inflammation in humans. Methods. Dermal microdialysis was employed on the volar forearm in 10 patients (21–41 years) with regional hyperhidrosis before and three months after preganglionic endoscopic transthoracic sympathetic clipping (ETSC) at the T2 or T3 level and in 10 healthy volunteers (22–36 years). After 60 minutes perfusion with Ringer's solution microdialysis fibers were perfused with BK 10−7 M and 10−5 M for 30 minutes followed …
Dynamic angular three-dimensional measurement of multisegmental thoracolumbar motion in vivo.
2008
Study design Method validation and in vivo motion segment study. Objective To determine in healthy subjects in vivo intervertebral segmental kinematics and coupled motion behavior in all 3 planes simultaneously for 3 segments and to evaluate whether these results differ from those in the normal population according to the literature. Summary of background data Few studies have provided a direct invasive approach to investigate segmental kinematics in vivo. Dynamic recordings of 3-dimensional segmental motion patterns of adjacent segments have rarely been reported. To date, no studies have examined the 3-dimensional segmental movements of the thoracolumbar junction in vivo in detail. Methods…
Magnetic resonance imaging findings and their relationships in the thoracic and lumbar spine. Insights into the etiopathogenesis of spinal degenerati…
1995
Study design Descriptive epidemiologic study about magnetic resonance imaging findings in the spine. Objectives To describe the prevalence of magnetic resonance imaging findings in a general population at spinal levels T6-S1, and to examine the relationships of these findings within each spinal level and between levels. Summary of background data The prevalence of specific findings and the associations between findings and spinal levels can provide general insights into the etiopathogenesis of spinal degeneration. Methods Subjects consisted of 232 men from a population sample (mean age 49.3 years). Signal intensity, disc bulging, disc herniation, and endplate irregularities were among 11 fi…
Decompression/Stabilization of the Metastatic Spine: Cotrel-Dubousset-Lnstrumentation in 50 Patients Jan
1993
50 patients with metastatic disease of the spine underwent dorsal decompression and stabilization with the Cotrel-Dubousset-Instrumentation from 1987 to 1991. Indications for surgical treatment were neurologic deficit, spinal instability, and/or pain resistant to medical or radiation treatment. No external orthotics were used postoperatively. Pain was relieved dramatically in 45 patients. Among 25 patients suffering from neurologic deficit preoperatively, 13 improved, 15 remained unchanged, whereas 2 developed an incomplete, transient paraplegia. 15 (7) patients were alive after 1 (2) years. Postoperative complications were frequent, but there were only 2 failures of the stabilization devic…
Hybrid Functional Electrical Stimulation Exercise Training Alters the Relationship Between Spinal Cord Injury Level and Aerobic Capacity
2014
Objective To test the hypothesis that hybrid functional electrical stimulation (FES) row training would improve aerobic capacity but that it would remain strongly linked to level of spinal cord lesion because of limited maximal ventilation. Design Longitudinal before–after trial of 6 months of FES row training. Setting Exercise for persons with disabilities program in a hospitaL. Participants Volunteers (N=14; age range, 21–63y) with complete spinal cord injury (SCI) (T3-11) who are >2 years postinjury. Intervention Six months of FES row training preceded by a variable period of FES strength training. Main Outcome Measures Peak aerobic capacity and peak exercise ventilation before and after…
Metastatic spinal cord compression--options for surgical treatment.
1993
Fourty-three cases with metastatic spinal cord compression were reviewed post-operatively to clarify the usefulness of the procedures concerning restoration of neurological function, and pain relief. Only patients with pathological spinal instability and neurological sequelae were included. Posterior decompression and stabilization was performed in all but six patients. All but four patients (91%) reported decrease of pain symptoms. Amelioration of neurological function was achieved in 58%. Re-establishment of walking ability was obtained in 57%. Post-surgery life expectancy averaged 11 months. In patients with widespread metastatic disease and/or multi-level instability of the spine restri…
Heart rate variability in individuals with thoracic spinal cord injury
2014
Cross-sectional study. The main goal of our study was to explore the differences in heart rate variability (HRV) while sitting between able-bodied (AB) participants and paraplegic (P) individuals. The study was conducted in the Physical Therapy department and the Physical Education and Sports department of the University of Valencia and Vall d’Hebron Hospital. To record the HRV, a 1000-Hz Suunto Oy t6 heart rate monitor was used. The data were analyzed in the temporal and frequency domains, and nonlinear analysis was performed as well. We found significant differences between P and AB participants in SDNN: t(76)=2.81, P<0.01; root mean squared of the difference of successive RR intervals: t…