Tarun Goyal

Spectrum of clinical disease in a series of 135 hospitalised HIV-infected patients from north India

BackgroundLiterature on the spectrum of opportunistic disease in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients from developing countries is sparse. The objective of this study was to document the spectrum and determine the frequency of various opportunistic infections (OIs) and non-infectious opportunistic diseases, in hospitalised HIV-infected patients from north India.MethodsOne hundred and thirty five consecutive, HIV-infected patients (age 34 ± 10 years, females 17%) admitted to a tertiary care hospital in north India, for the evaluation and management of an OI or HIV-related disorder between January 2000 and July 2003, were studied.ResultsFever (71%) and weight loss (65%) were the commonest presenting symptoms. Heterosexual transmission was the commonest mode of HIV-acquisition. Tuberculosis (TB) was the commonest OI (71%) followed by candidiasis (39.3%), Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) (7.4%), cryptococcal meningitis and cerebral toxoplasmosis (3.7% each). Most of the cases of TB were disseminated (64%). Apart from other well-recognised OIs, two patients had visceral leishmaniasis. Two cases of HIV-associated lymphoma were encountered. CD4+ cell counts were done in 109 patients. Majority of the patients (82.6%) had CD4+ counts <200 cells/μL. Fifty patients (46%) had CD4+ counts <50 cells/μL. Only 50 patients (37%) received antiretroviral therapy. Twenty one patients (16%) died during hospital stay. All but one deaths were due to TB (16 patients; 76%) and PCP (4 patients; 19%).ConclusionsA wide spectrum of disease, including both OIs and non-infectious opportunistic diseases, is seen in hospitalised HIV-infected patients from north India. Tuberculosis remains the most common OI and is the commonest cause of death in these patients.

Management of femoral head osteonecrosis: Current concepts

Osteonecrosis of femoral head (ONFH) is a disabling condition of young individuals with ill-defined etiology and pathogenesis. Remains untreated, about 70-80% of the patients progress to secondary hip arthritis. Both operative and nonoperative treatments have been described with variable success rate. Early diagnosis and treatment is the key for success in preserving the hip joint. Once femoral head collapses (>2 mm) or if there is secondary degeneration, hip conservation procedures become ineffective and arthroplasty remains the only better option. We reviewed 157 studies that evaluate different treatment modalities of ONFH and then a final consensus on treatment was made.

Staged reduction of neglected transscaphoid perilunate fracture dislocation: A report of 16 cases

BackgroundTransscaphoid perilunate fracture dislocation is a rare injury and can be easily missed at the initial treatment. Once ignored, late reduction is not possible and needs extensive dissection. An alternative treatment such as proximal row carpectomy may be required for neglected injuries, but surgical outcome is not as good as that of an early reduction. We aim to present an alternative technique of staged reduction and fixation in patients of neglected transscaphoid perilunate dislocations and study its outcome.Material & Methods16 cases (14 males & 2 females) with neglected transscaphoid perilunate fracture dislocation (> 3 month old) were treated with staged reduction. Mean duration between injury and surgery was 4.5 months. In first stage an external fixator was applied across the wrist and distraction was done at 1 mm/day. Second surgery was done through dorsal approach and we were able to reduce all the fractures & dislocations. Herbert screws and K wires were used for fixation.ResultsThe mean duration between two surgeries was 2.4 weeks (range 2–4 weeks). 9 cases had excellent results, 5 had good result. Two patients developed reflex sympathetic dystrophy and had fair results.ConclusionStaged reduction should be considered for neglected transscaphoid perilunate dislocations. If properly executed, a good functional pain free range of motion is the usual outcome.

Cortical Blindness Following Spinal Surgery: Very Rare Cause of Perioperative Vision Loss

A 38-year-old man was operated with posterior spinal decompression and pedicle screw instrumentation for his L2 fracture with incomplete neurological deficit. In the recovery, he complained of blindness in both eyes after twelve hours. Computed tomographic scan and magnetic resonance angiography revealed bilateral occipital lobe infarcts. He remained permanently blind even after three years follow-up. Though rare, perioperative vision loss is a potential complication following spine surgery in prone position. We report a rare occurrence of cortical blindness following lumbar spine surgery.

Neglected Monteggia fracture dislocations in children: a systematic review.

Monteggia fractures are uncommon and frequently missed injuries in children. This article aims to study, in a systematic manner, the surgical management and complications of treatment of chronic radial head dislocations. After screening of relevant abstracts, a total of 28 studies were included in the systematic review. A narrative synthesis of various treatment modalities has been discussed. This article concludes that open reduction should be attempted unless dysmorphism of the radial head restricts it. Open reduction with ulnar osteotomy with or without annular ligament reconstruction is the most commonly performed procedure and is expected to result in reduced pain and elbow deformity.

Comminuted quadrilateral plate fracture fixation through the iliofemoral approach.

Comminuted quadrilateral plate fracture with medial displacement is a technically difficult fracture to treat. Minimal bone stock, proximity to the hip joint with limited surgical access, and difficulty in obtaining a stable fixation at this area, contribute to the surgical challenge of open reduction and internal fixation. Fixation of a medial buttress plate in an infrapectineal fashion is a well-described technique to address such fractures. However, this plate alone may be inadequate to buttress all the fragments in a grossly comminuted quadrilateral plate fracture. An additional spring plate is often placed underneath the infrapectineal plate to hold the fracture fragments. Conventionally, these spring plates are fixed to the ilium superiorly while the other end buttresses the quadrilateral plate when placed underneath the infrapectineal reconstruction plate. The standard ilioinguinal approach and modified Stoppa approach have been described for the surgical access to the quadrilateral plate. Both the approaches have some limitations in addressing quadrilateral plate fracture. The ilioinguinal approach requires extensive dissection and mobilisation of inguinal neurovascular bundle. The modified Stoppa approach does not permit visualisation of the entire anterior column and the hip joint. The authors, in this article, describe the fixation of the comminuted quadrilateral plate fracture through the iliofemoral approach combined with a medial ilioinguinal window. The technique involves fixation of a spring plate (Allis T-plate) at right angle to the infrapectineal buttress plate (90°-90° plate construct). The vertical limb of the T-plate is fixed to the iliopectineal eminence whereas the horizontal limb buttresses the quadrilateral plate Hence, this technique addresses fractures of both the iliopectineal eminence and the quadrilateral plate. Other than that, the iliofemoral approach permits direct visualisation of the entire anterior column and the hip joint without the necessity to dissect the ilioinguinal neurovascular structures.

Desmoplastic fibroma of ulna: Excision and reconstruction of olecranon with a fibular graft

Desmoplastic fibroma is a rare, well differentiated, locally aggressive fibrous tumor usually arising from soft tissues, and rarely from bones. Involvement of forearm bones is extremely unusual. We present a large desmoplastic fibroma of right ulna in a 15-year-old male. The tumor was excised with a wide margin, and the bony defect was reconstructed with nonvascular autologous fibular graft. Reconstruction of the olecranon process was attempted using the fibular head and the remaining olecranon. At 2-years followup, there was no recurrence, flexion extension arc of the elbow joint was 40°–130° and there was no restriction of activities of daily living.

Tarlov cysts: a report of two cases

Perineural cysts are common and usually detected incidentally during magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbosacral spine. Treatment is indicated only when the cyst is symptomatic. We report one such patients presented with cauda equina syndrome and another with low back pain with claudication. They underwent excision and duraplasty; both motor and sensory fibres were carefully separated from the cyst wall using a nerve root retractor and penfield. There was no nerve root damage or neural deficit. Symptoms were relieved postoperatively.

Regeneration of the Achilles tendon after percutaneous tenotomy in infants: a clinical and MRI study.

We aimed to study the regeneration potential of tendo-achilles after percutaneous tenotomy in 34 clubfeet treated by Ponsetis technique. Clinical and MRI evaluation was done after 6 weeks and 6 months of tenotomy to assess the regeneration of the tendon. At the follow-up, Achilles tendon was palpated like a cord in all the feet. MRI study revealed continuity of the tendon in all cases at the end of 6 weeks and 6 months of the tenotomy. Thus, it could be concluded that tendo-achilles does regenerate following percutaneous tenotomy, used in the correction of clubfoot using Ponsetis technique.

Results of dorsal approach in surgical correction of congenital vertical talus: an Indian experience.

We present our experience in the correction of congenital vertical talus deformity in a single stage using dorsal approach. We operated on 20 feet using the dorsal approach and the average age of patients at the time of surgery was 16 months. Talonavicular reduction was achieved in all the feet and there was significant improvement in postoperative talo-calcaneal and talo-first metatarsal angles, which were well maintained at a follow-up of 4 years. In conclusion, the dorsal approach efficiently manages the deformities of a congenital vertical talus foot and provides consistent radiological and clinical outcome with minimal complications such as revision surgeries and osteonecrosis of the talus.