Methods: 34 adult patients 20 to 60 years of age, ASA status of I & II undergoing elective lateral and posterolateral thoracotomy were included in this study. Exclusion criteria were, patients with any systemic comorbidity and any contraindication to regional anesthesia. Patients were allocated into two groups by computer generated randomisation chart: Group 1 received thoracic epidural analges...

STUDY DESIGN  Retrospective case series. OBJECTIVE  To assess fusion rates in patients with sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain following a minimally invasive technique using fibular dowel allograft. METHODS  Thirty-seven consecutive patients (mean age: 42.5 years [range, 23-63 years]) with SIJ pain treated with 38 minimally invasive elective SIJ arthrodeses were retrospectively reviewed using char...

OBJECTIVE To describe the clinical features of invagination of the sphenoid sinus mucosa (ISM) and compare them with other similar cases using a visual analog scale (VAS) to assess the various nasal symptoms and to discuss its clinical significance and means of prevention. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective chart review at a tertiary referral center. METHODS Between 2010 and 2015, 8 patients who ha...

INTRODUCTION Greater occipital nerve blocks (GONB) have been used for headache but their benefit may be short. Ready et al performed intrathecal injections on rabbits and reported neurologic/histologic changes that required concentrations of at least 8%. Our study tests the hypothesis that the neurolytic effects of GONB with 10% lidocaine can prolong relief. METHODS After an approval from Hen...

OBJECTIVE We evaluated whether outpatient intravenous ketamine infusions were satisfactory for pain relief in patients suffering from various chronic intractable pain syndromes. DESIGN Retrospective chart review. SETTING AND PATIENTS Following Institutional Review Board approval, we retrospectively analyzed our database for all ketamine infusions administered over 5 years from 2004 to 2009....

PURPOSE In this article, we introduce a novel flow chart-based screening tool for the categorization of contact lens-induced dryness (CLIDE) and its impact on daily visual activities: the Berkeley Dry Eye Flow Chart (DEFC). METHODS One hundred thirty (130) experienced soft contact lens wearers discontinued lens wear for 24 hrs, passed a baseline screening and eye health examination, completed...

PURPOSE To compare visual acuity (VA) assessed in healthy eyes and eyes with diabetic retinopathy (DR) using three different logMAR charts: the Sloan letter European-wide chart, the tumbling E chart, and the Landolt C chart. METHODS Measurements on one eye of 40 volunteers (aged 29 ± 4 years) without visual impairment and 31 DR patients (aged 70 ± 9 years) with mild/moderate visual impairment...

BACKGROUND Although anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) can be performed using minimally invasive techniques, the extensive removal of anatomical keystones during decompression requires a segmental fusion to restore biomechanical stability. Treatment with arthrodesis techniques may result in a prolonged recovery time, loss of motion, and the need for further treatment if a pseudar...