OBJECTIVE To compare the incidence of postoperative vocal cord paresis or paralysis in a cohort of patients who underwent thyroidectomy with and without continuous recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) monitoring by a single senior surgeon. We hypothesize that continuous RLN monitoring reduces the rate of nerve injury during thyroidectomy DESIGN Retrospective medical chart review. SETTING Academi...

Spastic paresis is a frequent complication of lesions to central motor pathways. Patients who develop spasticity require specialised rehabilitation programmes to alleviate their symptoms, help them to relearn motor skills and regain some independence. Long-term management of patients with spastic paresis requires a comprehensive approach that addresses the patient’s physical needs and mental we...

BACKGROUND Neuralgic amyotrophy (brachial plexus neuropathy, brachial plexus neuritis, or Parsonage-Turner syndrome) is an uncommon inflammatory condition typically characterized by acute and severe shoulder pain followed by paresis with muscle weakness and atrophy of the upper limb or shoulder girdle. We report an unusual clinical manifestation of neuralgic amyotrophy, namely bilateral phrenic...

Postoperative pseudo-obstruction is a rare state of protracted gastrointestinal paresis that may progress to paralysis without the presence of obstructive lesions. Pseudo-obstruction is usually, but not exclusively, associated with an abdominal operative procedure (laparotomy), however, it may occasionally occur following extra-abdominal operations. As differentiated from the usual, 'physiologi...

THERE ix much recent medical literature on the subject of syphilis as a 'dying disease.' King (1958), in deploring the conmmonly held view that venereology is in decline as a specialty, suggests that the proportion of late syphilis may well have increased to-day since treatment has become easier to administer, and less systemuatic therapy is given in the early stages. Redmill (1959) emphasizes ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE There is currently no consensus on (1) the percentage of patients who develop spasticity after ischemic stroke, (2) the relation between spasticity and initial clinical findings after acute stroke, and (3) the impact of spasticity on activities of daily living and health-related quality of life. METHODS In a prospective cohort study, 301 consecutive patients with clinic...

OBJECTIVE To investigate perceived health and its relation to residual paresis from polio, late onset neuromuscular symptoms following poliomyelitis (LSP), and sex, in a population based sample of polio survivors. METHODS 350 subjects traced from the notification records of the Dutch 1956 polio epidemic received a mailed questionnaire on residual polio paresis and new neuromuscular symptoms. ...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS No accepted standard exists for the diagnosis of vocal fold paresis (VFP). Laryngeal specialists are surveyed to establish expert opinion on diagnostic methodology and criteria. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. METHODS Questionnaires were distributed at laryngology conferences in fall 2013. Responses were collated anonymously and subjected to cross-tabulated data a...

The etiology of medically unexplained symptoms such as conversion disorder is poorly understood. This is partly because the interpretation of neuroimaging results in conversion paresis has been complicated by the use of different control groups, tasks and statistical comparisons. The present study includes these different aspects in a single data set. In our study we included both normal contro...

Classic Raymond syndrome consists of ipsilateral abducens impairment, contralateral central facial paresis, and contralateral hemiparesis. However, subsequent clinical observations argued on the presentation of facial involvement. To validate this entity, we present a case of classic Raymond syndrome with contralateral facial paresis. A 50 year-old man experienced acute onset of horizontal dipl...