The results of simultaneous posterior–anterior–posterior surgery in multilevel tuberculosis spondylitis associated with severe kyphosis

We retrospectively studied the cases with tuberculous spondylitis of thoracolumbar region with two or more levels of involvement that underwent posterior instrumentation and fusion and anterior fusion with titanium mesh following anterior decompression using simultaneous successive posterior–anterior–posterior surgery. Among all patients with tuberculous spondylitis accompanied by medium or severe kyphosis, 20 patients who underwent simultaneous successive decompression, fusion and instrumentation with posterior–anterior–posterior surgery between 1999 and 2004 were included in the study. Patients were evaluated for fusion formation and neurological and functional status. Kyphosis angles were measured at early and long-term follow-up. Antituberculosis chemotherapy was initiated in all patients and continued for 9 months; initially as quadruple therapy for 3 months, and then as triple therapy. Average follow-up period was 52.7 months (range 37–94). Solid fusion was achieved in all patients. All patients returned to their previous occupation; 75% (15 subjects) with mild pain or no pain and 15% (3 subjects) with major limitations. There were 11 patients with neurological deficit, 9 of these achieved complete neurological recoveries. Regarding kyphosis angle, an average 35.1° correction (84.8%) was obtained in postoperative period (p < 0.001) and there was no significant correction loss during the follow-up period (p < 0.05). There were no grafts or instrumentation-related stabilization problems. In subjects with tuberculous spondylitis with involvements at two or more levels accompanied by medium and severe kyphosis, decompression, fusion and instrumentation by simultaneous successive posterior–anterior–posterior surgery is an effective and safe management method for effective kyphosis correction with high fusion rates

Anatomical variation in the ankle and foot: from incidental finding to inductor of pathology. Part I: ankle and hindfoot

Accessory anatomical structures in the ankle and foot usually represent incidental imaging findings; however, they may also eventually represent a source of pathology, such as painful syndromes, degenerative changes, be the subject of overuse and trauma or appear as masses and cause compression syndromes or impingement.This review aims to describe and illustrate the imaging findings related to the presence of accessory ossicles and muscles in the ankle and hindfoot through different techniques, with special attention to those variants that associate factors of clinical relevance or that trigger challenges in the differential diagnosis

Extragastric manifestations of Helicobacter pylori infection -- other Helicobacters.

Today there is evidence that Helicobacter pylori has a critical role in different extragastric diseases. The discovery of a number of other novel Helicobacter species has stimulated the research in different extragastric diseases, in which an infectious hypothesis is plausible. Enterohepatic Helicobacter species have been hypothesized to play a role in different disorders, including hepatocellular carcinoma, gallstones formation and cholangiocellular carcinoma, as well as enteric diseases and inflammatory bowel diseases. Concerning the extragastric manifestations of H. pylori infection, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, and sideropenic anemia represent, based on the current data, the diseases in which the pathogenic link appears to be strongest. There is also an increasing evidence for a possible association of H. pylori with cardiovascular diseas