Risk Factors For Neurologic Injury Research Articles

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Brain Metabolism in Fetuses With Congenital Heart Disease

BackgroundCongenital heart disease (CHD) remains a significant risk factor for neurologic injury because altered fetal hemodynamics may be unable to support typical brain development during critical periods of growth and maturation. ObjectivesThe primary objective was to assess differences in the cerebral biochemical profile between healthy fetuses and fetuses with complex CHD and to relate these with infant outcomes. MethodsPregnant participants underwent fetal magnetic resonance imaging with cerebral proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy acquisitions as part of a prospective observational study. Cerebral metabolites of N-acetyl aspartate, creatine, choline, myo-inositol, scyllo-inositol, lactate, and relevant ratios were quantified using LCModel. ResultsWe acquired 503 proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy images (controls = 333; CHD = 170) from 333 participants (controls = 221; CHD = 112). Mean choline levels were higher in CHD compared with controls (CHD 2.47 IU [Institutional Units] ± 0.44 and Controls 2.35 IU ± 0.45; P = 0.02), whereas N-acetyl aspartate:choline ratios were lower among CHD fetuses compared with controls (CHD 1.34 ± 0.40 IU vs controls 1.44 ± 0.48 IU; P = 0.001). Cerebral lactate was detected in all cohorts but increased in fetuses with transposition of the great arteries and single-ventricle CHD (median: 1.63 [IQR: 0.56-3.27] in transposition of the great arteries and median: 1.28 [IQR: 0-2.42] in single-ventricle CHD) compared with 2-ventricle CHD (median: 0.79 [IQR: 0-1.45]). Cerebral lactate also was associated with increased odds of death before discharge (OR: 1.75; P = 0.04). ConclusionsCHD is associated with altered cerebral metabolites in utero, particularly in the third trimester period of pregnancy, which is characterized by exponential brain growth and maturation, and is associated with survival to hospital discharge. The long-term neurodevelopmental consequences of these findings warrant further study.

Clinical characteristics of meconium aspiration syndrome in neonates with different gestational ages and the risk factors for neurological injury and death: A 9-year cohort study.

The presence of meconium is associated with gestational age, and the incidence of meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) increases with gestational age. Our study compared the differences in the clinical characteristics of patients with MAS at different gestational ages and discussed the risk factors for neurological injury and death from MAS. A total of 294 neonates diagnosed with MAS between 2013 and 2021 were included. Patients were divided into preterm, early-term, full-term, and late-term groups according to gestational age. We compared the patients' basic demographic, treatment, complications, and clinical outcomes in the different groups. We also analyzed the risk factors of neurological injury and death in patients with MAS. The mean age at admission (0.55 ± 0.9 h) was lower and the proportion of cesarean deliveries (90.00%, 27/30) was higher in the preterm group than in the other three groups. There was no statistically significant difference among the four groups regarding 1- and 5-min Apgar scores and the need for delivery room resuscitation. In terms of complications, early-term infants had the highest incidence of neurological injury (52.9%, 27/51), and late-term infants had the highest incidence of pneumothorax (37.8%, 17/45). The overall mortality rate of children with MAS was 7.80% (23/294), and the difference in mortality rates among the four groups was not significant. Low 1-min Apgar score and gestational age, metabolic acidosis, and respiratory failure were independent risk factors for neurological injury; metabolic acidosis, respiratory failure, and sepsis were independent risk factors for death in neonates with MAS. The clinical characteristics of MAS neonates of different gestational age are different mainly in complications. Early-term infants are more likely to complicate with neurological injury, and late-term infants are more likely to complicate with pneumothorax. Low 1-min Apgar score and gestational age, metabolic acidosis, and respiratory failure were established as risk factors for neurological injury; metabolic acidosis, respiratory failure, and sepsis were independent risk factors for death in neonates with MAS.

Evaluation, Treatment, and Impact of Neurologic Injury in Adult Patients on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: a Review.

PurposeExtracorporeal membrane oxygen (ECMO) is increasingly used as an advanced form of life support for cardiac and respiratory failure. Unfortunately, in infrequent instances, circulatory and/or respiratory recovery is overshadowed by neurologic injury that can occur in patients who require ECMO. As such, knowledge of ECMO and its implications on diagnosis and treatment of neurologic injuries is indispensable for intensivists and neurospecialists.Recent findingsThe most common neurologic injuries include intracerebral hemorrhage, ischemic stroke, seizure, cerebral edema, intracranial hypertension, global cerebral hypoxia/anoxia, and brain death. These result from events prior to initiation of ECMO, failure of ECMO to provide adequate oxygen delivery, and/or complications that occur during ECMO. ECMO survivors also experience neurological and psychological sequelae similar to other survivors of critical illness.SummarySince many of the risk factors for neurologic injury cannot be easily mitigated, early diagnosis and intervention are crucial to limit morbidity and mortality from neurologic injury during ECMO.

Regional Nerve Blocks-Best Practice Strategies for Reduction in Complications and Comprehensive Review.

Understanding the etiologies of the complications associated with regional anesthesia and implementing methods to reduce their occurrence provides an opportunity to foster safer practices in the delivery of regional anesthesia. Neurologic injuries following peripheral nerve block (PNB) and neuraxial blocks are rare, with most being transient. However, long-lasting and devastating sequelae can occur with regional anesthesia. Risk factors for neurologic injury following PNB include type of block, injection in the presence of deep sedation or general anesthesia, presence of existing neuropathy, mechanical trauma from the needle, pressure injury, intraneural injection, neuronal ischemia, iatrogenic injury related to surgery, and local anesthetic neurotoxicity. The present investigation discusses regional blocks, complications of regional blocks, risk factors, site-specific limitations, specific complications and how to prevent them from happening, avoiding complications in regional anesthesia, and the future of regional anesthesia.

Neurodevelopmental outcome at 5 years of age after general anaesthesia or awake-regional anaesthesia in infancy (GAS): an international, multicentre, randomised, controlled equivalence trial

In laboratory animals, exposure to most general anaesthetics leads to neurotoxicity manifested by neuronal cell death and abnormal behaviour and cognition. Some large human cohort studies have shown an association between general anaesthesia at a young age and subsequent neurodevelopmental deficits, but these studies are prone to bias. Others have found no evidence for an association. We aimed to establish whether general anaesthesia in early infancy affects neurodevelopmental outcomes. In this international, assessor-masked, equivalence, randomised, controlled trial conducted at 28 hospitals in Australia, Italy, the USA, the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, we recruited infants of less than 60 weeks' postmenstrual age who were born at more than 26 weeks' gestation and were undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy, without previous exposure to general anaesthesia or risk factors for neurological injury. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) by use of a web-based randomisation service to receive either awake-regional anaesthetic or sevoflurane-based general anaesthetic. Anaesthetists were aware of group allocation, but individuals administering the neurodevelopmental assessments were not. Parents were informed of their infants group allocation upon request, but were told to mask this information from assessors. The primary outcome measure was full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, third edition (WPPSI-III), at 5 years of age. The primary analysis was done on a per-protocol basis, adjusted for gestational age at birth and country, with multiple imputation used to account for missing data. An intention-to-treat analysis was also done. A difference in means of 5 points was predefined as the clinical equivalence margin. This completed trial is registered with ANZCTR, number ACTRN12606000441516, and ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00756600. Between Feb 9, 2007, and Jan 31, 2013, 4023 infants were screened and 722 were randomly allocated: 363 (50%) to the awake-regional anaesthesia group and 359 (50%) to the general anaesthesia group. There were 74 protocol violations in the awake-regional anaesthesia group and two in the general anaesthesia group. Primary outcome data for the per-protocol analysis were obtained from 205 children in the awake-regional anaesthesia group and 242 in the general anaesthesia group. The median duration of general anaesthesia was 54 min (IQR 41-70). The mean FSIQ score was 99·08 (SD 18·35) in the awake-regional anaesthesia group and 98·97 (19·66) in the general anaesthesia group, with a difference in means (awake-regional anaesthesia minus general anaesthesia) of 0·23 (95% CI -2·59 to 3·06), providing strong evidence of equivalence. The results of the intention-to-treat analysis were similar to those of the per-protocol analysis. Slightly less than 1 h of general anaesthesia in early infancy does not alter neurodevelopmental outcome at age 5 years compared with awake-regional anaesthesia in a predominantly male study population. US National Institutes of Health, US Food and Drug Administration, Thrasher Research Fund, Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, Health Technologies Assessment-National Institute for Health Research (UK), Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Anesthesiologists Society, Pfizer Canada, Italian Ministry of Health, Fonds NutsOhra, UK Clinical Research Network, Perth Children's Hospital Foundation, the Stan Perron Charitable Trust, and the Callahan Estate.

Editor's Choice – Current Options and Recommendations for the Treatment of Thoracic Aortic Pathologies Involving the Aortic Arch: An Expert Consensus Document of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) & the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS)

Editor's Choice – Current Options and Recommendations for the Treatment of Thoracic Aortic Pathologies Involving the Aortic Arch: An Expert Consensus Document of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) & the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS)

Risk Factors for Neurological Injury After Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

Risk Factors for Neurological Injury After Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Pediatric Patients Post Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Neurologic complications can occur with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) due to several factors. Prior studies identified neonates as having unique risk factors and neuroimaging findings post ECMO. The aim of this study is to describe brain magnetic resonance imaging findings of pediatric patients treated with ECMO. We conducted a retrospective study of nonneonatal pediatric patients who underwent a comprehensive brain magnetic resonance imaging after ECMO between January 2000 and July 2015. We identified 47 pediatric patients in the study cohort with a median age of 8 months (interquartile range 3-170 months) and a median ECMO run duration of 7.15 days (interquartile range 3.8-10.3 days). Among indications for ECMO cannulation, 12 (25.5%) were cardiac, 23 (48.9%) were respiratory, and 12 (25.5%) were extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation cannulations. There were 33 (70.2%) veno-arterial cannulations of which 14 (42%) were transthoracic cannulations. There were 13 patients (27.7%) with an overall incidence of stroke: 8 patients had exclusive ischemic strokes, 2 had hemorrhagic strokes, and 3 had mixed types of stroke. The number of strokes in patients on veno-arterial ECMO was significantly decreased in patients undergoing transthoracic cannulation when compared with peripheral cannulation (7 vs. 42%, p = 0.05). Further study will be used to identify risk factors for neurological injury after ECMO and to look for outcome predictors based on neuroradiologic findings.

Sciatic Nerve Injury After Proximal Hamstring Avulsion and Repair.

Background:Muscle bellies of the hamstring muscles are intimately associated with the sciatic nerve, putting the sciatic nerve at risk of injury associated with proximal hamstring avulsion. There are few data informing the magnitude of this risk, identifying risk factors for neurologic injury, or determining neurologic outcomes in patients with distal sciatic symptoms after surgery.Purpose:To characterize the frequency and nature of sciatic nerve injury and distal sciatic nerve–related symptoms after proximal hamstring avulsion and to characterize the influence of surgery on these symptoms.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:This was a retrospective review of patients with proximal partial or complete hamstring avulsion. The outcome of interest was neurologic symptoms referable to the sciatic nerve distribution below the knee. Neurologic symptoms in operative patients were compared pre- and postoperatively.Results:The cohort consisted of 162 patients: 67 (41.4%) operative and 95 (58.6%) nonoperative. Sciatic nerve–related symptoms were present in 22 operative and 23 nonoperative patients, for a total of 45 (27.8%) patients (8 [4.9%] motor deficits, 11 [6.8%] sensory deficits, and 36 [22.2%] with neuropathic pain). Among the operative cohort, 3 of 3 (100.0%) patients showed improvement in their motor deficit postoperatively, 3 of 4 (75.0%) patients’ sensory symptoms improved, and 17 of 19 (89.5%) patients had improvement in pain. A new or worsening deficit occurred in 5 (7.5%) patients postoperatively (2 [3.1%] motor deficits, 1 [1.5%] sensory deficit, and 3 [4.5%] with new pain). Predictors of operative intervention included lower age (odds ratio [OR], 0.952; 95% CI, 0.921-0.982; P = .001) and complete avulsion (OR, 10.292; 95% CI, 2.526-72.232; P < .001). Presence of neurologic deficit was not predictive.Conclusion:Sciatic nerve–related symptoms after proximal hamstring avulsion are underrecognized. Currently, neurologic symptoms are not considered when determining whether to pursue operative intervention. Given the high likelihood of improvement with surgical treatment, neurologic symptoms should be considered when making a decision regarding operative treatment.

“What’s the Risk?” Assessing and Mitigating Risk in Cardiothoracic Surgery

“What’s the Risk?” Assessing and Mitigating Risk in Cardiothoracic Surgery

Zone 2 sacral fractures managed with partially-threaded screws result in low risk of neurologic injury

BackgroundZone 2 sacral fractures account for 34% of sacral fractures with reported neurological deficit in 21−28% of patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the risk factors for neurological injury in zone 2 sacral fractures. The authors hypothesized that partially thread iliosacral screws did not increase incidence of neurologic injury. MethodsA retrospective review of consecutive patients admitted to a level 1 trauma center with zone 2 sacral fractures requiring surgery from September 2010 to September 2014 was performed. Patients were excluded if no neurologic exam was available after surgery. Fractures were classified according to Denis and presence/absence of comminution through the neural foramen was noted. Fixation schema was recorded (sacral screws or open reduction and internal fixation with posterior tension plate). Any change in post-operative neurological exam was documented as well as exam at last clinic encounter. Results90 patients met inclusion criteria, with zone 2 fractures and post-operative neurological exam. No patient with an intact pre-operative neurologic exam had a neurological deficit after surgery. 86 patients (95.6%) were neurologically intact at their last follow-up examination. Four patients (4.4%) had a neurological deficit at final follow-up, all of them had neurological deficit prior to surgery. 81 patients were treated with partially threaded screws of which 1 (1.2%) had neurological deficit at final follow-up.Fifty-seven fractures (63.3%) were simple fractures and 33 fractures (36.7%) were comminuted. All four patients with neurological deficit had comminuted fractures. The association between neurologic deficit in zone 2 sacral fracture and fracture comminution was found to be statistically significant (p-value=0.016). No nonunion was observed in this cohort. ConclusionsThe use of partially threaded screws for zone 2 sacral fractures is associated with low risk for neurologic injury, suggesting that compression through the fracture does not cause iatrogenic nerve damage. The low rate of sacral nonunion can be attributed to compression induced by the use of partially threaded compression screws. There is a strong association between zone 2 comminution and neurologic injury.

Neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of age after general anaesthesia and awake-regional anaesthesia in infancy (GAS): an international multicentre, randomised controlled trial

SummaryBackgroundThere is pre-clinical evidence that general anaesthetics affect brain development. There is mixed evidence from cohort studies that young children exposed to anaesthesia may have an increased risk of poorer neurodevelopmental outcome. This trial aims to determine if GA in infancy has any impact on neurodevelopmental outcome. The primary outcome for the trial is neurodevelopmental outcome at 5 years of age. The secondary outcome is neurodevelopmental outcome at two years of age and is reported here.MethodsWe performed an international assessor-masked randomised controlled equivalence trial in infants less than 60 weeks post-menstrual age, born at greater than 26 weeks gestational age having inguinal herniorrhaphy. Infants were excluded if they had existing risk factors for neurologic injury. Infants were randomly assigned to awake-regional (RA) or sevoflurane-based general anaesthesia (GA). Web-based randomisation was performed in blocks of two or four and stratified by site and gestational age at birth. The outcome for analysis was the composite cognitive score of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition. The analysis was as-per-protocol adjusted for gestational age at birth. A difference in means of five points (1/3 SD) was predefined as the clinical equivalence margin. The trial was registered at ANZCTR, ACTRN12606000441516 and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00756600.FindingsBetween February 2007, and January 2013, 363 infants were randomised to RA and 359 to GA. Outcome data were available for 238 in the RA and 294 in the GA arms. The median duration of anaesthesia in the GA arm was 54 minutes. For the cognitive composite score there was equivalence in means between arms (RA-GA: +0·169, 95% CI −2·30 to +2·64).InterpretationFor this secondary outcome we found no evidence that just under an hour of sevoflurane anaesthesia in infancy increases the risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcome at two years of age compared to RA.

Survival, Neurologic Injury, and Kidney Function after Surgery for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection.

To analyze survival, neurologic injury, and kidney function after acute type A aortic dissection. A total of 445 patients undergoing surgery for acute type A aortic dissection were analyzed. Evaluation according to risk factors for mortality, neurologic injury, and kidney function was performed. Overall 1-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 82.8 ± 1.8%, 73.6 ± 2.4%, and 59.3 ± 3.9, respectively. Independent preoperative risk factors for mortality were preexisting renal impairment (p = 0.001), reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (p < 0.001), and age (p < 0.001). Perioperative risk factors were prolonged cross-clamp (p < 0.001) and cerebral perfusion time (p = 0.001). Risk factors for renal failure were preexisting renal impairment (p < 0.001), prolonged cross-clamp time (p < 0.001), cerebral perfusion time (p < 0.001), and age (p = 0.022). Risk factors for neurologic injury were cross-clamp time (p = 0.038), cerebral perfusion time (p = 0.007), and age (p = 0.045). In addition to classic risk factors, survival after type A aortic dissection is affected by preexisting renal impairment. Preexisting renal impairment is predictive of postoperative renal failure. Therefore treatment and prevention strategies for renal failure during the acute and long-term course after acute type A aortic dissection are warranted.

Bovine Aortic Arch: Predictor of Entry Site and Risk Factor for Neurologic Injury in Acute Type A Dissection

The aim of this study was to evaluate if the presence of a bovine aortic arch (BAA)- the most common aortic arch anomaly-influences the location of the primary entry tear, the surgical procedure, and the outcome of patients undergoing operation for type A acute aortic dissection (AAD). A total of 157 patients underwent emergency operations because of AAD (71% men, mean age 59.5 ± 13 years). Preoperative computed tomographic scans were screened for the presence of BAA. Patients were separatedinto 2 groups: presenting with BAA (BAA+, n= 22) or not (BAA-, n= 135). Location of the primary tear, surgical treatment, outcome, and risk factors for postoperative neurologic injury and in-hospital mortality were analyzed. Fourteen percent (22 of 157) of all patients operated on for AAD had a concomitant BAA. Location of the primary entry tear was predominantly in the aortic arch in patients with BAA (BAA+, 59.1% versus BAA-, 13.3%; p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed the presence of a BAA to be an independent risk factor for having the primary tear in the aortic arch (odds ratio [OR], 14.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.54-48.13; p<0.001) but not for in-hospital mortality. Patients withBAA had a higher rate of postoperative neurologic injury (BAA+, 35% versus BAA-, 7.9%; p= 0.004). Multivariate analysis identified the presence of BAA as an independent risk factor for postoperative neurologic injury (OR, 4.9; 95% CI, 1.635-14.734; p= 0.005). In type A AAD, the presence of a BAA predicts the location of the primary entry site in the aortic arch and is an independent risk factor for a poor neurologic outcome.

Neurologic Injury within Pelvic Ring Injuries

fracture types, and longitudinal displacements were examined for correlations with the neurologic injury. Results: There were 7 cases of AO/OTA type A, 37 cases of type B, and 18 cases of type C. Among them, 25 patients (40%) had combined spine fractures, and the average of longitudinal displacement was 7 mm (1-50 mm). Of the 62 patients, 13 (21%) had neurologic injury related with pelvic fractures; 5 with lumbosacral plexus injury, 5 with L5 or S1 nerve injury, 2 with obturator nerve injury, and 1 case of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve injury. There were no relationships between the neurologic injuries and fracture types (p=0.192), but the longitudinal displacements of posterior ring and combined spine fractures were related to the neurologic injury within pelvic ring injury (p=0.006, p=0.048). Conclusion: The incidence of neurologic injury in pelvis fracture was 21%. In this study, the longitudinal displacements of posterior ring and combined spine fractures were risk factors for neurological injury in pelvic ring injury.

Perfil epidemiológico dos pacientes com fraturas torácicas e lombares tratadas cirurgicamente no Serviço de Neurocirurgia do Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal (Brasília-Brasil)

Resumo Objetivos: Apresentar o perfil epidemiológico e os fatores de risco para déficit neurológico de 52 pacientes com fratura traumática da coluna torácica e lombar tratados cirurgicamente no Serviço de Neurocirurgia do Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal. Métodos: Trata-se de trabalho retrospectivo de pacientes com fratura da coluna torácica e lombar tratados cirurgicamente no período de julho de 2007 a julho de 2012. Resultados: Predomínio do sexo masculino (78,8%); faixa etária mais comum é 20-40 anos (57,6%); segmento fraturado: T1-T10 (19,2%), T11-L2 (61,5%), L3-L5 (19,3%); 48% dos indivíduos tinham déficit neurológico; fratura tipo A é mais comum (42,3%); mecanismo do trauma: acidente automobilístico (23%), queda de altura (42,3%), motociclístico (26,9%); predomínio da fratura tipo C no segmento torácico 45,4% e tipo A no lombar 63,3% (p &lt; 0,01); déficit neurológico: torácico 81,8%, lombar 23,3% (p &lt; 0,05); déficit neurológico toracolombar: tipo A 31,8%, tipo B 47,3%, tipo C 81,8% (p = 0,02). Conclusão: A maioria dos pacientes era do sexo masculino e adulto jovem. Cerca de 48% apresentavam déficit à admissão hospitalar e tinham a junção T11-L2 como principal local de ocorrência. A fratura tipo A da AO foi mais encontrada entre as lesões lombares e a tipo C entre as torácicas. O principal mecanismo do trauma foram os acidentes de trânsito. As fraturas torácicas e as lesões do tipo C são fatores de risco para lesão neurológica.

Civilian gunshot extremity fractures with neurologic injury

To verify the hypothesis that neurologic injuries are less prevalent in civilian gunshot injuries than that reported in the military literature, and are more likely to occur with concomitant fracture. In order to investigate the incidence and patient variables of gunshot injury with neurologic injury, a retrospective chart review was performed at a single urban trauma center over a five-year period. One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one patients with gunshot injuries were treated at our center over the five year study period. Of these, 895 patients (48%) had involvement of at least one extremity and 382 (21%) had concomitant fractures. Seventy-four had concomitant neurologic injury. There was a statistically significant difference of 14% (53/382) and 4% (21/513) (P < 0.0001) between the group with fracture (53 patients) and the group without fracture (21 patients), respectively, in the occurrence of neurologic insult. This incidence of neurologic injuries in civilian gunshot injuries is lower than that previously reported in the military population and the presence of a fracture is clearly an additional risk factor for neurologic injury.

Evidence of persistent neurologic injury following thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

Despite improvements in our understanding of the pathophysiology of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), little data exist regarding the long-term sequelae following a diagnosis of TTP. We present the results of a comprehensive evaluation of neurologic injury that included a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a neurocognitive testing, and an evaluation of health-related quality of life. Twenty-seven patients with a history of idiopathic TTP functioning normally in their activities of daily living were recruited from existing patient cohorts at both the Ohio State University (n 5 12) (Columbus) and the University College London Hospitals (n 5 15) (London, UK). Nine of 23 (39%) of the MRI studies were abnormal; 17/27 (63%) patients demonstrated neurocognitive impairment, particularly in tests of visual learning and memory. Health-related quality of life scores were also significantly lower than age- and gender-matched US norms for both the composite mental component score and physical component score. These data suggest that the prevalence of neurologic findings in TTP patients in remission is quite high and is largely undetected by routine clinical evaluations. Further longitudinal study will be required to define the risk for neurologic injury and the long-term prognosis in patients previously diagnosed with TTP.

BokSmart: Pre-participation screening of rugby players by coaches based on internationally accepted medical standards

A comprehensive medical history forms a significant part of any medical assessment or screening. In the athlete, pre-participation screening is aimed at determining those aspects of personal and family history that place the participant at greater risk of sudden death, serious illness or musculoskeletal injury. In rugby union, where the incidence of head and neck injuries is higher than in other sports, emphasis needs to be placed on screening for potential risk factors for neurological injury. In a South African rugby environment, pre-season medical screening is not standard and indeed rarely practised. In most club and school settings, the rugby coach may well be the person most in contact with players and therefore in the best position to conduct an initial screening. This article reviews the relevant literature pertinent to such a guideline.

The Left Thoracic Curve Pattern

A prospective trial of MRI study in patients with "idiopathic" left thoracic scoliosis. To investigate the prevalence of neural axis abnormalities in asymptomatic patients with "idiopathic" left thoracic scoliosis. Some patients with neural axis abnormalities have scoliosis as the only presenting sign, and they might be given a diagnosis of "idiopathic" scoliosis. These neural axis abnormalities are risk factors for neurologic injury during spine correction. With the development of MRI, neural axis abnormalities are increasingly being found in patients with "idiopathic" scoliosis. However, there are few reports on the prevalence of neural axis abnormalities in asymptomatic patients with "idiopathic" left thoracic scoliosis. A total of 68 patients with presumed "idiopathic" left thoracic scoliosis were examined for neural axis abnormalities, using MRI. Neural axis abnormalities were detected in 37 (54%) patients, including Chiari 1 malformation in 15 patients, Chiari 1 malformation with syringomyelia in 10, Chiari 1 malformation with syringomyelia and tethered cord in 1, Chiari 1 malformation with syringomyelia and diastematomyelia in 1, syringomyelia in 8, syringomyelia with tethered cord in 1, and arachnoidal cyst in cerebellomedullary cistern in 1 patient. There were statistically significant differences between patients with and without neural axis abnormalities regarding gender and curve severity (P < 0.05). When a left thoracic curve pattern is present in patients with "idiopathic" scoliosis, especially in male patients or patients with severe curve, strong consideration should be given to the possibility of the presence of neural axis abnormalities, and acquisition of an MRI scan considered.