Medicine
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The main challenge facing anesthesiologists during endotracheal mass resection is securing effective airway management during surgery. It is important to select an airway intubation and airway maintenance method according to the patient's condition and the characteristics of the mass. ⋯ Awake bronchoscopy-guided intubation is a safe airway management method in patients with an endotracheal mass. Close cooperation between anesthesiologist and surgeon, and preparation for airway management before surgery is essential. It is necessary to establish alternative plans that can be implemented in the case that intubation and ventilation are not possible.
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General practitioners are still facing great challenges in the management of occlusal caries. Therefore, the development of better diagnostic protocols and assessment of caries activity might improve the results of nonoperative treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of visual inspection based on ICDAS-II (International Caries Detection and Assessment System) and DiagnoDent pen in the detection of pit-and-fissure early lesions in young permanent molars. ⋯ The majority of children (69.8%) had moderate caries risk and the most frequent risk factors recorded were sugar intake between meals, lack of regular dental control and poor oral hygiene. We concluded that ICDAS-II is a valuable and reliable diagnostic tool for early pit-and-fissure lesions and could be used alone during dental examination in children. The evaluation of caries risk should become clinical routine, as parameters belonging to high risk were frequently recorded in our study group.
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Case Reports
An empyema caused by Streptococcus constellatus in an older immunocompetent patient: Case report.
Empyema caused by Streptococcus constellatus is rare in patients without underlying diseases. However, the importance of the Streptococcus anginosus group, which consists of S constellatus, S anginosus, and Streptococcus intermedius, as causative organisms of empyema has been increasing. ⋯ Although S constellatus can cause serious infections in patients with underlying diseases and immunosuppression, physicians need to consider S constellatus infection in community-acquired empyema in elderly individuals. It should be treated with early pleural drainage and antibiotics to avoid surgical decortication and prolonged hospitalization.
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The effect on degenerative thoracolumbar kyphosis (DTLK) after short-segment instrument for lumbar spinal stenosis syndrome (LSS) remains controversial. Based on the biomechanics and compensatory of the global spino-pelvic alignment, it was assumed that the interference on the lumbar spine, instead of the thoracolumbar segment, could still make a difference on the proximal spine. To explore whether DTLK could improve with only surgery for LSS and identify influencing factors on postoperative TLK. ⋯ Osteoporosis was the risk factor for TLK correction (P = .001, odd risk = 9.58). DTLK decreased if instrument only performed for LSS, where TLK and clinical outcomes are comparably affected whether L5 or S1 is selected as LIV. This study supplements the compensatory mechanism of spino-pelvic alignment, especially for cases with severe osteoporosis.
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To compare the femoral tunnel characteristics using a rigid versus flexible reamer during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. It was hypothesized that the employment of a flexible reamer along with femoral tunnel would exhibit longer tunnel length and more acute femoral graft tunnel angle compared to the case of a rigid reamer. The study population included 28 patients who underwent anatomical single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using transportal technique and were able to take postoperative computed tomography (CT) evaluation. ⋯ Our data suggest that the flexible reamer can provide sufficient tunnel length for the suspensory fixation with a fixed loop. Whereas, the femoral graft-tunnel angle through flexible reaming at 90° of knee flexion was more acute compared to rigid reaming at 120° of knee flexion. Study Design: level of evidence III.