Three recent studies demonstrated the positive effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for treating carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, none have entirely proved the effects of ESWT on CTS because all studies had a small sample size and lacked a placebo-controlled design. Moreover, radial ESWT (rESWT) has not been used to treat CTS. We conducted a prospective randomized, controlled, double-blinded study to assess the effect of rESWT for treating CTS. Thirty-four enrolled patients (40 wrists) were randomized into intervention and control groups (20 wrists in each). Participants in the intervention group underwent three sessions of rESWT with nightly splinting, whereas those in the control group underwent sham rESWT with nightly splinting. The primary outcome was visual analog scale (VAS), whereas the secondary outcomes included the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTQ), cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve, sensory nerve conduction velocity of the median nerve, and finger pinch strength. Evaluations were performed before treatment and at 1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the third rESWT session. A significantly greater improvement in the VAS, BCTQ scores, and CSA of the median nerve was noted in the intervention group throughout the study as compared to the control group (except for BCTQ severity at week 12 and CSA at weeks 1 and 4) (p < 0.05). This is the first study to assess rESWT in a randomized placebo-controlled trial and demonstrate that rESWT is a safe and effective method for relieving pain and disability in patients with CTS. Keywords: extracorporeal shock waves; carpal tunnel syndrome Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common peripheral entrapment neuropathy involving the compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel. The average prevalence of CTS in the entire population is 3-4%, and it is predominantly observed in females (7% female and 1% male). 1 CTS is characterized by numbness, tingling, pain, or a burning sensation of at least two of the three digits supplied by the median nerve, although thenar muscle atrophy can also occur in the later stages. 2The risk factors for CTS include repetitive wrist stress, obesity, and pregnancy, whereas secondary causes include lesions within the carpal tunnel, metabolic causes, and infection.2 Unlike other progressive diseases, CTS is characterized by remission and recurrence; hence, its prognosis is often uncertain. Although there are many conservative forms of management, such as wrist splint, steroid injections, and therapeutic ultrasound, their effectiveness is typically insignificant or short-lived.3 Moreover, Gerritsen et al. 4 revealed a failure rate of 69% for wrist splinting in patients with CTS after a 12-month follow-up period. Moreover, 60-70% of conservatively treated patients with CTS remained symptomatic after 18 months. Extracorporeal shock waves (ESWs) are defined as a sequence of acoustic pulses characterized by a high peak pressure (100 MPa), fast pressure increase (<10 ns), short duration (...

We herein describe the case of a 27-year-old female, who presented with a large mass of the upper left abdominal cavity discovered incidentally, through an annual health examination. Preoperative studies including abdominal ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging were performed, but they could not accurately determine the nature of the tumor. At laparotomy, a large cystic tumor of the small bowel mesentery was found. Histopathologic examination diagnosed the tumor as a cystic lymphangioma. Although lymphangiomas are rare, especially in the abdomen of adults, they may sometimes present as acute abdomen, causing complications that require emergent surgery.

Spontaneously rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma is a life threatening and worse prognosis. Not only the lower rate of resection and hemodynamic unstable, but also the hepatic failure and recurrence. Distilled water irrigation had been applied in several cancer surgeries including colon, stomach, breast, ovary, and bladder; thus had good results in lowering the tumor spreading. We applied distilled water peritoneal lavage after liver resection in patients with spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma to define the influence of prognosis. Thirteen patients with spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma underwent distilled water peritoneal lavage after curative liver resection (Group A). Nineteen patients with spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma did not undergo distilled water peritoneal lavage after curative liver resection (Group B). There were 11 patients of tumor recurrence in Group B; 2 in Group A. The mean disease-free time of Group B was 2.05 +/- 0.74 years; for Group A it was 3.59 +/- 0.60 (P = 0.045). Peritoneal lavage in this series resulted in significantly better survival time for the patients in Group A (P = 0.0158). That implies distilled water peritoneal lavage during liver resection would retard the tumor recurrence and further improve the survival rate in patients with spontaneously ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma.