. The results indicate that mirror therapy effectively reduces pain and enhances upper limb motor function in stroke patients with upper limb CRPSt1.

T h e ne w e ngl a nd jou r na l o f m e dic i ne n engl j med 361;6 nejm.org august 6, 2009 634 lost extensibility), and a knee with limited mobility. 2 The minimally invasive approach is appropriate for most but not all knees.

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Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of disodium EDTA administration in the treatment of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder. Methods. Eighty patients with radiographically verified calcific tendinitis of the shoulder were enrolled between September 2001 and October 2003. Patients were randomly assigned to either a study group (n ‫؍‬ 40) or a control group (n ‫؍‬ 40). Pain and functional level were evaluated before and after treatment and at 1-year followup. Radiographic modifications in calcifications were evaluated before and after treatment. Disodium EDTA was administered through single needle mesotherapy and 15 minutes of pulsed-mode 1 MHz-ultrasound. Results. The study group displayed improvement in all of the parameters analyzed after treatment and at the 1-year followup. Calcifications disappeared completely in 62.5% of the patients in the study group and partially in 22.5%; calcifications partially disappeared in only 15% of the patients in the control group, and none displayed a complete disappearance. Conclusion. Our results suggest that the use of disodium EDTA for the management of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder is safe and effective, leading to a significant reduction in pain, improvement in shoulder function, and disappearance of calcifications after 4 weeks, without adverse effects.

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of oral administration of Linfadren ® in addition to conventional treatment in patients with post-trauma/surgery persistent hand edema. Design: Parallel-group randomized controlled trial. Setting: Outpatient rehabilitation center. Subjects: A total of 60 outpatients (mean age 48.5 (standard deviation (SD) = 12.3) years) with posttrauma/surgery persistent hand edema. Interventions: Patients were randomized to either receive six-week conventional treatment plus Linfadren ® (Study Group) or conventional treatment (Control Group). Main Measures: Primary outcome was hand edema as measured by figure-of-eight method. Secondary outcomes were hand function, patient's overall perceived treatment effectiveness and rescue medication request. Tolerability of Linfadren ® was also evaluated. Assessments were performed at baseline, at the end of treatment and three months after the end of treatment. Results: All patients completed the six-week program and 57 patients (95%) completed the threemonth follow-up. At six weeks, the Study Group had significantly greater improvement in hand edema (423.3 (SD = 23.8) mm vs 439.4 (SD = 22.6) mm; P = 0.009) and upper limb function (Quick Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire: 23.6 (SD = 13.6) vs 37.7 (SD = 15.9); P = 0.005) compared to the Control Group. Moreover, the percentage of patients who perceived treatment as effective was