Surgical Treatment of Moyamoya Disease

Moyamoya disease is a rare cerebrovascular disease most prevalent in East Asian Countries. Thanks to the new diagnostic capabilities, the number of cases discovered has been rising steadily in the latest years, including many asymptomatic patients. But asymptomatic from the clinical point of view does not necessarily mean that there are no subjacent problems and that there will be no disease progression. Indeed, many patients harbour cognitive decline long before they start with clinical or even radiological manifestations. The only effective treatment is surgical revascularization, with all its possibilities: direct, indirect, and combined. While direct techniques are more useful in adult moyamoya patients, children seem to benefit most from indirect techniques. Additionally, indirect or combined procedures can be used as salvage procedures in case of unsatisfactory outcomes. Thus, many surgeons posit that surgical treatment should be considered in moyamoya patients, even if asymptomatic, particularly in the paediatric age group

Treatment of Neuropathic Pain in Brachial Plexus Injuries

Brachial plexus injuries are commonly followed by chronic pain, mostly with neuropathic characteristics. This is due to peripheral nerve lesions, particularly nerve root avulsions, as well as upper limb amputations, and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The differential diagnosis between CRPS and neuropathic pain is essential as the treatment is different for each of them. Medical treatments are the first step, but for refractory cases there are two main types of surgical alternatives: ablative techniques and neuromodulation. The first group involves destruction of the posterior horn deafferented neurons and usually provides a better pain control but has a 10% complication rate. The second group provides pain control with function preservation but with limited effectiveness. Each case has to be thoroughly evaluated to apply the treatment modality best suited for it

Chronic Pain Associated with Lateral Epicondylitis: Treatment with Radiofrequency

Lateral epicondylitis is a painful condition that impairs the quality of life and the working capacities of many middle-aged people. Conservative treatments offer an opportunity for improvement in the majority of cases. Surgical alternatives can be considered in those patients with persisting pain. Open, arthroscopic and percutaneous extensor tendon procedures offer similar results with 10–20% failure rates. Radiofrequency microtenotomies have been introduced with comparable results to traditional surgical procedures. Although both thermal and pulsed radiofrequency techniques have been applied, there is more experience with the thermal. In the past, thermal radiofrequency has been applied through a 3–5 cm skin incision, but now some researchers have reported its percutaneous application with radiofrequency cannulas. The results are similar to former techniques but with significantly reduced surgical aggressiveness that correlates with less postoperative discomfort and a faster recovery

Where We Come From and Are We Aware of Where We Are Going To?

Chronic pain is a pathological condition that requests specific medical attention. Its treatment has been imperative since the origin of our species, taking advantage of herbs and natural remedies available in the primitive environment. Morphine has stood the test of time as has been continuously used for the past 8 millennia. The anatomical knowledge of the nociceptive sensation pathways led to the introduction of some surgical techniques directed to stop this pain transmission. Due to their aggressiveness and to the fact that they are irreversible, these techniques were soon replaced by neurostimulation procedures. Being reversible and allowing a change in stimulation parameters soon became the preferred treatment strategy. Over the years a small subset of patients continues to suffer from chronic pain refractory to the usual neurostimulation and pain-controlling medications. These patients can perhaps benefit from one of the surgical ablative procedures. Some of these techniques have been proven particularly effective throughout the years. For some limited income patients in underdeveloped countries, these techniques may be their only accessible option. Doctors have to keep in mind these surgical techniques to put them at the service of our patients in the very few cases in which they are needed. Letting these ablative techniques to die in oblivion would be a disservice to our patients

Nerve Root Reimplantation in Brachial Plexus Injuries

Nerve root avulsion is the most severe form of brachial or lumbosacral plexus injury. Spontaneous recovery is extremely rare, and when all the nerve roots of the affected plexus are avulsed, the therapeutic options are very limited. Nerve root reimplantation has been attempted since the 1990s, first in experimental animal models and afterwards in human beings. Currently, only partial recovery of the proximal limb muscles has been achieved. New therapeutic strategies have been developed to improve motor neuron survival and axonal regeneration, with promising results. Neurotrophic factors and some drugs have been used successfully to improve the regenerating ability, but long-term studies in humans are needed to develop complete recovery of the affected limb

Percutaneous Radiofrequency Hip Joint Denervation

With an aging population, chronic osteoarthritic hip joint pain is becoming a major issue. Most patients with hip pain can control their pain with conservative measures but with a gradual reduction in their quality of life. When gradually reduced ambulation and pain become recalcitrant, total hip arthroplasty is the next step. For most patients, this is a good way to improve pain control and to recover some quality of life, but for a few this aggressive surgical procedure is not possible. Sometimes co-morbidities make total hip arthroplasties undesirable. At other times, the age of the patients recommends to wait for a while. In these cases, other options have to be explored. Percutaneous partial hip joint sensory denervation has become a notable option as it can provide acceptable rates of pain relief with minimal surgical aggressiveness. There are three modalities to perform it: thermal, cooled and pulsed radiofrequency

Barbed Dental Ti6Al4V Alloy Screw : Design and Bench Testing

Background context. Dental implants are designed to replace a missing tooth. Implant stability is vital to achieving osseointegration and successful implantation. Although there are many implants available on the market, there is room for improvement. Purpose. We describe a new dental implant with improved primary stability features. Study design. Lab bench test studies. Methods. We evaluated the new implant using static and flexion-compression fatigue tests with compression loads, 35 Ncm tightening torque, displacement control, 0.01 mm/s actuator movement speed, and 9-10 Hz load application frequency, obtaining a cyclic load diagram. We applied variable cyclic loadings of predetermined amplitude and recorded the number of cycles until failure. The test ended with implant failure (breakage or permanent deformation) or reaching five million cycles for each load. Results. Mean stiffness was 1151.13 ± 133.62 SD N/mm, mean elastic limit force 463.94 ± 75.03 SD N, and displacement 0.52 ± 0.04 SD mm, at failure force 663.21 ± 54.23 SD N and displacement 1.56 ± 0.18 SD mm, fatigue load limit 132.6 ± 10.4 N, and maximum bending moment 729.3 ± 69.43 mm/N. Conclusions. The implant fatigue limit is satisfactory for incisor and canine teeth and between the values for premolars and molars for healthy patients. The system exceeds five million cycles when subjected to a 132.60 N load, ensuring long-lasting life against loads below the fatigue limit