Juan J. Canoso

Long-term follow-up of corticosteroid injection for traumatic olecranon bursitis.

Forty-seven patients with traumatic olecranon bursitis were evaluated after a mean follow-up of 31 months (range 6 to 62 months). Twenty-two patients treated with bursal aspiration had delayed recovery and no complications of therapy. Twenty-five patients treated with intrabursal injection of 20 mg of triamcinolone hexacetonide had rapid recovery, usually within one week, but suffered complications such as infection (3 cases), skin atrophy (5 cases), and chronic local pain (7 cases). Since spontaneous resolution can be expected, a conservative approach is suggested in the treatment of traumatic olecranon bursitis.

Meralgia Paresthetica and Large Abdomens

Excerpt To the editor: We read with great interest the letter by Radvan and Vidikan (1) on meralgia paresthetica in patients with liver disease, in which they suggested that entrapment of the later...

Foucher's sign of the Baker's cyst.

We investigated the mechanism of Fouchers sign, the change in pressure in the Bakers cyst with extension and flexion of the knee, by echography, arthrography, and computed tomography. With extension the gastrocnemius and the semimembranosus muscles approximate each other and the joint capsule compressing the cyst against the deep fascia. Opposite effects in flexion allow the cyst to relax.

Aspiration of the retrocalcaneal bursa.

We aspirated the retrocalcaneal bursa in cadavers to determine the characteristics of bursal fluid. A small amount of clear, viscous fluid was constantly present in the bursa. Leucocyte count was low, and the mucin clot test was good. With the same technique we aspirated the retrocalcaneal bursae of 4 patients. Three had Reiters syndrome; the bursal fluid was inflammatory, and symptoms promptly resolved after local corticosteroid injection. The fourth patient presented with heel pain; intracellular, positively birefringent crystals were present in the aspirate, consistent with the diagnosis of pseudogout.