Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
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Editorial Comment
The controversy over diagnosis and treatment of facet pain.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an emerging infectious disease, and indeed, the SARS epidemic in Taiwan from March to July 2003 had a great impact. This study depicts the clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes of patients with SARS treated at Taipei Veterans General Hospital; potential predictive factors for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are also analyzed. ⋯ The clinical manifestations of SARS showed high variability, and were related to the underlying health status of individual patients. Importantly, the development of ARDS was associated with significant mortality, despite aggressive therapy.
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Benign cystic tumors, specifically dermoid or mucinous cysts, are the most frequent causes of ovarian torsion. In clinical practice, adnexal torsion is usually subjected to adnexectomy to prevent embolism of thrombosed ovarian veins and its sequelae. However, this intervention is unsatisfactory for young women who want to preserve their fertility. ⋯ The pathology revealed cystic teratoma of the ovary. We report this case to emphasize that untwisting of potentially viable adnexa, followed by cystectomy, in patients with adnexal torsion appears to be a safe procedure. This conservative approach should be encouraged in women of childbearing age to reduce the possibility of premenopausal loss of ovarian function.
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Postoperative femoral neuropathy is an uncommon complication occurring after pelvic surgery. Inappropriate stretching and prolonged compression of the nerve are 2 major mechanisms of the neuropathy. Here we report 2 cases of femoral neuropathy immediately following pelvic surgery. ⋯ Electromyography and nerve conduction studies confirmed left femoral neuropathy. Both of the patients received physical therapy and had nearly total neurological recovery within 3 months. We report this unusual complication that followed major pelvic surgery and also review the literature and discuss the possible etiology for prevention of this injury.