Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L F Levy.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Four cases of blastomycosis seen in two acute care hospitals in Harare, Zimbabwe, are described. All patients had symptoms of at least 2 months' duration before presentation, and all had radiographic evidence of pulmonary consolidation. Three patients had confirmed bone involvement, and two had chronic discharging sinuses. The features of blastomycosis in Africa are reviewed, and problems of diagnosis and treatment are discussed. It is concluded that blastomycosis in Africa may often be misdiagnosed as tuberculosis or pyogenic infection in the absence of adequate facilities for mycologic investigation.
Subdural empyema was encountered in 44 African patients in Rhodesia during the period from 1970 to 1974. Subdural empyema seems to be a relatively frequent occurrence in Africans. Sixty-eight per cent of the patients were below the age of 20 years, and males predominated. More than half of the patients had either a history or evidence of an infectious process outside the central nervous system, and about 60% demonstrated focal neurological signs. The diagnosis was confirmed by either surgery or postmortem examination. Cultures of available specimens were positive in 50%. The predominant organisms identified were Streptococcus, followed by Staphylococcus. Surgical treatment consisted mainly of multiple burr holes, drainage of the empyema, and irrigation. The mortality rate in this study was 59%, and some recognizable contributing factors are elaborated. In the discussion the authors compare these observations with pertinent reviews from the literature. Some of these findings correlate well with other reports, whereas other observations are attributed to factors partly inherent in the socio-economic structure of the African population in Rhodesia.
A review of the literature on bony anomalies of the craniovertebral junction was carried out with emphasis on anomalous manifestations associated with the occipital bone, atlas and axis vertebrae. A summary of the evolution and normal development of the above bony structures and the embryological structures contributing to the bony anomalies is presented. In addition the diagnostic measurements used for the diagnosis of the bony anomalies of the craniocervical junction and their clinical presentation were summarised. This review was prepared with the aim of providing reference material for neurosurgeons and radiologists.