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Biomedical subjects

L T Ford

Publications and source records attributed to L T Ford.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Adult diastematomyelia.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a rare report of a patient with clinically silent diastematomyelia unrecognized into adulthood. OBJECTIVE: The report demonstrates that diastematomyelia may be clinically silent and may not be evident on routine myelography without computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: A patient presented with lumbar radiculopathy in adulthood. Neurologic examination was normal. Radiographs revealed spina bifida occulta at L5 and the sacrum. Previous myelography demonstrated only a central bulging intervertebral disc at L4-L5. Metrizamide myelography with post-myelography computed tomography demonstrated diastematomyelia with tethered cord. CONCLUSIONS: Myelography alone may be insufficient in demonstrating the pathology described here. Post-myelography computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging sufficiently demonstrated the abnormality in this patient.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Safety and efficacy of chymopapain (Chymodiactin) in herniated nucleus pulposus with sciatica. Results of a randomized, double-blind study.

A double-blind, randomized trial was conducted to compare the efficacy of intradiskal injection of chymopapain (Chymodiactin) with injection of placebo in patients with a herniated lumbar disk. Patients were randomly assigned to either placebo or drug regimens and followed up for six months. The primary measure of performance was agreement by patient and surgeon that further intervention was not necessary. At any time that patient and investigator agreed that treatment had failed, the patient was classified as a failure and the treatment code was broken. Of 53 placebo-treated patients, 31 failed by this criterion. Of 55 drug-treated patients, 15 failed. Placebo-treated patients who failed were allowed to receive drug treatment, and 29 (91%) of 32 were treated successfully. This study demonstrates that chymopapain is more effective than placebo for treatment of patients with a herniated lumbar disk.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Tendon rupture after local steroid injection.

Thirteen patients who developed 15 ruptured tendons subsequent to injection of a depository steroid in or about the tendons are described. Eight were treated surgically. Ruptures were encountered in three Achilles tendons, two supraspinati, one lateral epicondylar attachment at the elbow, eight tendons of the long head of the biceps at the shoulder, and one anterior tibial tendon. Measures designed to lessen this complication are described. In most cases triamcinolone hexacetonide was used as the depository steroid, mixed with procaine or lidocaine. Patients with this complication who were not treated surgically were the older patients who had ruptures of the tendon of the long head of the biceps.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Disarticulation for failed surgical procedures about the hip.

Complications following treatment of disease about the hip may render a limb so nonfunctional that the patient is confined to bed or a wheelchair. Admitting therapeutic defeat and knowing "how and when to quit" may be wise. Four chronically disabled patients released from their confinement and rehabilitated by disarticulation of the hip are described.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Analysis of gas in vacuum lumbar disc.

In three cases in which chemonucleolysis with chymopapain was used for the treatment of back and sciatic pain, gas from the vacuum phenomenon of a degenerated lumbar intervertebral disc was recovered. In one of these, the gas analyzed by gas chromatography contained 90%--92% nitrogen.

Chymopapain↗
PubMed1976

Postoperative infection of lumbar intervertebral disk space.

Sixteen cases of postoperative intervertebral disk space infection are reviewed. Most occurred after diskectomy, but one followed an unsuccessful attempt at a spinal anesthetic and two followed diskography. Treatment varied from aggressive surgery, either by a posterior, lateral, or anterior approach, to drain the infected disk space or spaces, to more conservative immobilization. Antibiotics were used in all cases. Needle biopsy is valuable in establishing diagnosis and identifying the organism and its antibiotic sensitivities. In some cases fusion occurred spontaneously from the infection; in others, fusion was a result of surgical fusion preceding or following the infection.

Adult↗