Therapeutische Umschau. Revue thérapeutique
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In earlier times physicians decided on their own which diagnostic tests and treatments the patient should undergo, receive and follow. At least, such physicians' behavior is described in the literature. In recent decades the pendulum moved in the other direction. ⋯ A prerequisite for being actively involved in the decision process patients have to be informed about their health status and the consequences of different options and potential decisions. There is no plausible reason to question the values of the participative model, but patients also have a right to be not informed about things they do not want to know. Transparency is desirable, but transparency is not 'per se' a good thing only.
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Neurological sleep disorders are common in the general population and may have a strong impact on quality of life. General practitioners play a key role in recognizing and managing sleep disorders in the general population. They should therefore be familiar with the most important neurological sleep disorders. ⋯ Although narcolepsy is considered as a rare disease, recent discoveries in narcolepsy research provided insight in the function of brain circuitries involved in sleep wake regulation. REM sleep behavioral parasomnia (RBD) is increasingly recognized to represent an early manifestation of neurodegenerative disorders, in particular evolving synucleinopathies. Early diagnosis may thus open new perspectives for developing novel treatment options by targeting neuroprotective substances.
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Chronic insomnia, i. e. complaints about prolonged sleep onset, difficulties in maintaining sleep, early morning awakening and associated impairments of daytime functioning afflicts approximately 10 % of the population in most Western industrialized countries. Chronic insomnia can be due to somatic disorders, mental disorders, intake of medications, legal or illicit drugs. One third of all patients with chronic insomnias suffers from primary insomnia, a diagnosis which is given when none of the above mentioned factors can be identified as a causal factor. ⋯ Several published meta-analyses from the last two decades showed that these techniques, especially in their combined form, can be considered as evidence-based. It was shown that they are as effective as pharmacological therapy in the short-term and in the long-run even superior to pharmacotherapy. Cognitive-behavioral techniques for the therapy of insomnia can be used very successfully by trained physicians and psychotherapists.
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Besides carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel syndrome, other nerve compression or constriction syndromes exist at the upper extremity. Using the technique of endoscopically assisted decompression such rare nerve compression syndromes of the upper extremity can be treated. The technique of endoscopical decompression is presented in six patients with rare compression or hour-glass-like constriction syndromes at the upper extremity. ⋯ All but one patient considered the results excellent. The poorest responder developed a CRPS II and refused postoperative physiotherapy. Endoscopically assisted decompression in rare compression syndrome of the upper extremity is highly appreciated by patients and provides excellent functional results.
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The lesions of the scapholunate ligament are some of the most frequently encountered in the wrist. Left untreated, the complete rupture of the ligament is followed by degenerative arthritis according to a well-defined pattern of progression through the wrist, eventually leading to multifocal arthrosis, a condition described as scapholunate advanced collapse (SLAC wrist). ⋯ Both together essentially determine the healing potential and the prognosis, which rapidly decrease after six weeks from the initial trauma, thus indicating the importance of recognizing the acute or subacute lesion and directing the patient to the hand surgeon early enough. The therapeutic options are notably reduced and often of palliative nature in case of chronic lesions with secondary changes in the wrist mechanics or cartilage damage.