Muscle oxygenation in Type 1 diabetic and non-diabetic patients with and without chronic compartment syndrome

Background: Type 1 diabetic patients and non-diabetic patients were referred for evaluation for chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) based on clinical examination and complaints of activity-related leg pain in the region of the tibialis anterior muscle. Previous studies using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) showed greater deoxygenation during exercise for CECS patients versus healthy controls; however, this comparison has not been done for diabetic CECS patients. Methods: We used NIRS to test for differences in oxygenation kinetics for Type 1 diabetic patients diagnosed with (CECS-diabetics, n = 9) versus diabetic patients without (CON-diabetics, n = 10) leg anterior chronic exertional compartment syndrome. Comparisons were also made between non-diabetic CECS patients (n = 11) and healthy controls (CON, n = 10). The experimental protocol consisted of thigh arterial cuff occlusion (AO, 1-minute duration), and treadmill running to reproduce symptoms. NIRS variables generated were resting StO(2)%, and oxygen recovery following AO. Also, during and following treadmill running the magnitude of deoxygenation and oxygen recovery, respectively, were determined. Results: There was no difference in resting StO2% between CECS-diabetics (78.2 +/- 12.6%) vs. CON-diabetics (69.1 +/- 20.8%), or between CECS (69.3 +/- 16.2) vs. CON (75.9 +/- 11.2%). However, oxygen recovery following AO was significantly slower for CECS (1.8 +/- 0.8%/sec) vs. CON (3.8 +/- 1.7%/sec) (P = 0.002); these data were not different between the diabetic groups. StO2% during exercise was lower (greater deoxygenation) for CECS-diabetics (6.3 +/- 8.6%) vs. CON-diabetics (40.4 +/- 22.0%), and for CECS (11.3 +/- 16.8%) vs. CON (34.1 +/- 21.2%) (P<0.05 for both). The rate of oxygen recovery post exercise was faster for CECS-diabetics (3.5 +/- 2.6%/sec) vs. CON-diabetics (1.4 +/- 0.8%/sec) (P = 0.04), and there was a tendency of difference for CECS (3.1 +/- 1.4%/sec) vs. CON (1.9 +/- 1.3%/sec) (P = 0.05). Conclusion: The greater deoxygenation during treadmill running for the CECS-diabetics group (vs. CON-diabetics) is in line with previous studies (and with the present study) that compared non-diabetic CECS patients with healthy controls. Our findings could suggest that NIRS may be useful as a diagnostic tool for assessing Type 1 diabetic patients suspected of CECS

IMP before and after treadmill running.

<p>IMP before and after treadmill running.</p

NIRS variables at rest, for cuff occlusion, and during and after treadmill running.

<p>NIRS variables at rest, for cuff occlusion, and during and after treadmill running.</p

Altered cerebral blood flow in chronic neck pain patients but not in whiplash patients: a 99mTc-HMPAO rCBF study

A cross-sectional study to investigate regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with chronic whiplash syndrome and chronic neck pain patients without previous history of trauma along with a healthy control group. Chronic neck pain is a common disorder and a history of cervical spine injury including whiplash trauma constitute a risk factor for persistent neck pain. The aetiology of the late whiplash syndrome is unknown with no specific diagnostic criteria based on imaging, physiological, or psychological examination. Earlier studies indicate a parieto-occipital hypoperfusion but it is unclear if the hypoperfusion represents a response to chronic pain. The rCBF was monitored in 45 patients with chronic neck pain: 27 cases with chronic whiplash syndrome and 18 age and gender matched cases with non-traumatic chronic neck pain. The rCBF was estimated with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (HMPAO). The non-traumatic patients displayed rCBF changes in comparison with the whiplash group and the healthy control group. These changes included rCBF decreases in a right temporal region close to hippocampus, and increased rCBF in left insula. The whiplash group displayed no significant differences in rCBF in comparison with the healthy controls. The present study suggests different pain mechanisms in patients with chronic neck pain of non-traumatic origin compared to those with chronic neck pain due to a whiplash trauma