Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a multifactorial disorder with more questions than answers. In past years, research has mainly focused on 5 areas: genetic factors, neurological mechanism dysfunction, hormone/metabolic dysfunction, skeletal growth abnormalities, and biomechanical factors. As adolescents with any known functional or structural disorder in the somatosensory pathway are mo...

BACKGROUND The choice of an appropriate approach to the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis is considerably complicated owing to the lack of a clear-cut aetiology of this condition. Idiopathic scoliosis impairs the body's biomechanical balance and adversely affects body statics. MATERIAL AND METHODS The muscle torques of the flexor and extensor muscles of the hip joints were assessed in 123 chi...

A case of pulmonary sarcoidosis and idiopathic CD4+ T lymphocytopenia is reported. Pneumocystis carinii was detected in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of a young homosexual man who was asymptomatic without any evidence of congenital or acquired immunodeficiency but with a low CD4+ cell count. A clinical and histological diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis was made. During follow up the patient...

Scoliosis is a complex three-dimensional deformity that is usually considered in the frontal plane without references to curvature in other planes. An important feature of idiopathic scoliosis deformity is the horizontal plane rotation (vertebral axial rotation). This rotation is thought to be significant for initiation and progression of idiopathic scoliosis (Adams W, 1865). Somerville's (1952...

The efficacy of a completely zero-fluoroscopy (ZF) approach for the catheter ablation of idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) and whether it has advantages over the conventional fluoroscopy (F) approach are still unknown. The aim of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of a completely ZF approach with those of the conventional F approach in the ablation of idiopathic VAs.We con...

This report presents the findings of investigation of a child with idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (IIP). Functional abnormalities of the smooth muscle of the gastrointestinal tract were disclosed by electrical recordings from the gut obtained after laparotomy. In vitro analysis of tissue and ultrastructure were undertaken and a possible aetiology of the disorder in this patient based ...

GPR126 has been identified to be associated with AIS (Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis) in different populations, but data on the northern Chinese population are unavailable. Additionally, it is important to know the exact clinical phenotypes associated with specific genetic polymorphisms. Fourteen SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) loci in GPR126 were genotyped in 480 northern Chinese Han AIS...

PURPOSE To compare the long-term results of the Kite and Ponseti methods of manipulation and casting for clubfoot. METHODS 42 patients (with 64 idiopathic clubfeet) were equally randomised to Kite or Ponseti treatments in the early weeks of life. 14 males and 7 females (34 clubfeet) were treated by the Kite method, whereas 13 males and 8 females (30 clubfeet) were treated by the Ponseti metho...

Introduction Idiopathic, congenital or primary pelvic hydronephrosis is a well recognised condition, which can present a:t any age" but most oommonly in dhildren and in the third decade. The aetiology is still uncertain, though the work of Murnagham' and Whitaker4 has demonstrated that there is an abnormality of muscular peristaltic conduction in the pelvis and pelviureteric junction, which con...

We appreciate the comments from D. Schlenzka and T. Yrjonen. We thank you for your interest in our article. We agree that the article by Mannherz et al does cover a younger age group of patients, but given the difficulty finding prospective follow-up in bracing treatments, it was included as it showed failure in long-term follow-up.1 The illustrative case demonstrates a patient with high compli...