Journal of orthopaedic science : official journal of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association
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The rat L5/6 intervertebral disc is innervated by L1 to L6 dorsal root ganglia (DRGs). T13 to L2 DRGs innervate the L5/6 intervertebral disc through paravertebral sympathetic trunks, whereas L3 to L6 DRGs directly innervate through sinuvertebral nerves on the posterior longitudinal ligament. The presence of substance P (SP)-immunoreactive (ir) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP-ir) sensory nerve fibers on the lumbar intervertebral disc has been established. ⋯ The presence of BDNF-ir and the VR1-ir DRG neurons innervating the L5/6 intervertebral disc has not. In this study of DRG neurons innervating the L5/6 intervertebral disc, the proportions of BDNF-ir in L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5 DRG neurons were 14%, 12%, 12%, 12%, and 13% and the proportions of VR1-ir L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5 DRG neurons were 10%, 8%, 24%, 19%, and 23%, respectively. Under physiological conditions in rats these neurons may transmit inflammatory and burning pain of the L5/6 intervertebral disc.
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We report six patients with soft tissue sarcoma mimicking traumatic hematoma. The lesions in these patients, showed huge hematomas and were characterized by rapid growth. Cytology of percutaneous; aspiration biopsy samples was performed in all six patients; however, in five patients, findings for malignant cells were negative. ⋯ We conducted a retrospective study in which we evaluated the clinical findings, the magnetic resonance (MR) images, and computed tomography (CT) scans of the soft tissue sarcomas forming huge hematomas in the lesion. MR imaging revealed the fine tumor mass with enhancement and characterized the hematoma in the lesion in a more precise fashion than did CT. We conclude that MR imaging is a suitable method for differentiating these soft tissue sarcomas from chronic traumatic hematoma.
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Malignant lymphoma is rarely found in skeletal muscle. In this article, we present two cases of malignant lymphomas that were located in skeletal muscle and caused rhabdomyolysis. One case was a primary skeletal muscle lymphoma (which is quite rare), and the other was a skeletal muscle metastasis of lymphoma. ⋯ Bone scintigraphy depicted widespread, diffuse accumulation of the radioisotope in the affected muscles of both patients, typical of rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis may be a sequela of lymphoma, as a result of the tendency of malignant lymphoma to infiltrate diffusely into muscles, to affect multiple neighboring muscle compartments, and to metastasize into other soft tissues, as well as being a sequela of possible cytotoxic or humoral actions, all of which may increase the amount of muscle damage. When a patient presents with diffuse muscle swelling, one should consider a diagnosis of a hematogenous disease, which may cause rhabdomyolysis complicated by renal dysfunction.
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Case Reports
Calcified thoracic intervertebral disc at two levels as a cause of mid-back pain in a child: a case report.
An uncommon case of calcified disc at two levels in the thoracic spine is presented. A 12-year-old girl presented with intervertebral thoracic disc calcification from the levels D7-D8 and D11-D12. ⋯ Her symptoms were self-limiting and disappeared with bed rest, analgesics, and the use of a brace. The radiological changes were the same at 4-year follow-up, but the patient remained asymptomatic.
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We established a three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) model of the 4th and 5th vertebrae, using computed tomography (CT) images (2-mm slice thickness) of a healthy 29-year-old man. Because of the lack of specific data regarding the material characteristics of the nucleus pulposus of intervertebral discs, we used intradiscal pressure in the nucleus pulposus to establish the model. We referred to data from Nachemson and from Sato et al. regarding intradiscal pressure and to the methods of Shirazi-Adl for data for other material characteristics (see text for these references). ⋯ We also examined von Mises stress on the facet joint in normal and degenerative disc models. There was increased von Mises stress on the vertebral endplate in the anterior, center portions. von Mises stress on the annulus fibrosus increased in the posterior portion, the entrance to the neural foramen, and the exit of the neural foramen. von Mises stress was greater during flexion in the posterior portion; in particular, increasing to about 1.6 times the level seen with other postures. No changes were observed in von Mises stress on the vertebral endplates or annulus fibrosus in the degenerative disc model, but von Mises stress on the facet joints was about 2.5 times that seen in the normal disc model.