The medical literature reveals numerous reports of transient taste disturbance associated with the use of oral terbinafine. A review of these reports, however, fails to confirm taste disturbances by formal taste testing. In this article, a case of long-standing taste dysfunction in a patient who exhibited normal formal taste thresholds is described.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Isolated gouty tophus of a tibial sesamoid of the foot.

A case of tophaceous gout involving a foot sesamoid is described in a middle-aged man with a history of chronic gout. Microscopic findings consisting of tophaceous foci located beneath an intact hyaline articulating surface are correlated with associated radiographs.

Arthritis, Gouty↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Scanning and light microscopic study of irrigated and nonirrigated joints following burr surgery performed through a small incision.

Research was conducted on young, adult male rabbits where osseous burr surgery was performed through a small incision using two methods of joint debris extrusion. Surgical joint debris was found in all specimens at 1 week following surgery. Also, 1 week postoperatively, the surgically untouched chondral and subchondral joint aspects were intact in both irrigated and nonirrigated specimens. There was, however, subchondral bone inflammation in all specimens but the nonirrigated population had a greater inflammatory subchondral infiltrate. The synovium was more inflamed in the nonirrigated group. Bone particles, observed with scanning electron microscopy, generally appeared to be only slightly more evident in the nonirrigated group. Metal particles were observed in several specimens. By 28 weeks, joint debris was practically undetectable. In the irrigated specimens the chondral and subchondral portions presented with occasional degenerative focal loss of the chondral and subchondral layers. In comparison, the nonirrigated group demonstrated not only occasional but moderate-to-frequent focal loss with fissuring in the chondral and subchondral layers in addition to extrinsic repair of the cartilage surface. Subchondral bone inflammation was also more severe in the nonirrigated group. Observations from this project confirm that joint debris is removed through intrinsic joint processes and further suggests that the postoperative course of inflammation is not a totally abrasion-related phenomenon. The findings support the use of intraoperative irrigation as opposed to debris extrusion without irrigation in order to reduce both immediate and chronic postsurgical inflammation.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A retrospective study of the Swanson great toe hemi-prosthesis.

This work is the summation and analysis of data received from a questionnaire forwarded to all Board Certified podiatric surgeons regarding their experience with the Swanson great toe hemi-prosthesis. The responses pertaining to a variety of concerns, including erosive changes, years in vivo, signs and symptoms indicating retrieval, percentage of surgeons polled performing retrieval and perceived reasons for observed erosive changes, were recorded and analyzed. The resultant data reveal significant erosive changes occur early after implantation with a plateau effect within 3 years. Persistent pain following implantation was the most common reason for removal followed by limited range of motion and nonspecific swelling. These three concerns comprised 70% of the reasons for retrieval followed by 18 other cited problems. The results of this poll originate from subjective and objective impressions of surgeons. It is clear that further work is required to scientifically identify and document the specific reasons for these findings, including the circumstances that result in successful implantation of this prosthesis.

Humans↗