Total sagittal knee laxity and postural control in the sagittal and frontal planes were measured in 25 patients at a mean of 36 months (range, 27 to 44) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and in a control group consisting of 20 uninjured age- and activity-matched subjects. Body sway was measured in the sagittal plane on a stable and on a sway-referenced force plate in single-legged stance, double-legged stance, or both, with the eyes open and closed. Postural reactions to perturbations in the sagittal and frontal planes were recorded in the single-legged stance with the eyes open. Total sagittal plane laxity was significantly greater in the anterior cruciate ligament-reconstructed knee (11.2 mm; range, 6 to 15) than in the uninjured knee (8.9 mm; range, 6 to 12) or in the control group (6.0 mm; range, 5 to 8). In spite of this, the patients, in comparison with the controls, exhibited normal postural control except in two variables-the reaction time and the latency between the start of force movement to maximal sway in the sagittal plane perturbations. This supports the hypothesis that rehabilitation, with proprioceptive and agility training, is an important component in restoring the functional stability in the anterior cruciate ligament-reconstructed knee.

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Postural controla comparison between patients with chronic anterior cruciate ligament insufficiencv and healthy individuals Lysholm M, Ledin T, Odkvist LM, Good L. Postural controla comparison between patients with chronic anterior cruciate ligament insufficiency and healthy individuals.Scand average of 86% of the total resisting force (1). Markolf et al.(2) postulated that the factors influencing knee stability during weight-bearing activities were provided by interactions of many phenomena, including ligament and other soft tissue restraints, condylar geometry, active muscular control and tibio-femoral contact forces.It has, however, become apparent that the ACL

Preoperative obstructive problems in combination with recurrent tonsillitis have a negative impact on HRQL. Both the TT and TE groups demonstrated large improvements on HRQL, infections, and obstructive problems 1 year after surgery, indicating that the surgical methods are equally effective. With its reduced postoperative complications, less pain, shorter recovery time, and cost reduction, TT with RF should be considered the method of choice.

MOLLER C, ODKVIST L, LARSBY B, THAM R, LEDIN T, BERGHOLTZ L. Otoneurological findings in workers exposed to styrene. Scand J Work Environ Health 1990;16:189-94. An otoneurological test battery was adm inistered to 18 workers with long-term exposure (6-15 years) to styrene at levels well below the current Swedish limit (110 mg/m'). The results were compared with those of a reference gro up. Disturbances were found in the centr al auditory path ways of seven wor kers. Tests reflecting central pr ocessing of impu lses from different sensory equilib rium organs were abnormal for 16 workers. Th e most relevant tests seemed to be static posturography and the rotatory visual suppression test. In the posturograph y the styrene gro up had a significantl y larger sway area than the reference group. In the visual suppression test , the styrene workers displayed a significantly poorer abilit y to suppress vestibular nystagmus than the reference group. It was concluded that styrene exposur e in industrial environments at moderate or low levels causes central nervous system disturbances which ar e not always diagnosable with psychometric tests but can be apparent in special otoneurological tests.

To diagnose fundic atrophic (type A) gastritis as part of the clinical investigation of various diseases or for epidemiologic purposes, a simple and reliable diagnostic test would be of great value. We studied circulating levels of pepsinogen A (PGA) and pepsinogen C (PGC) in 179 patients with fundic atrophic gastritis, 29 unselected patients with gastric adenocarcinoma, 15 totally gastrectomized patients, and 50 gastroscopically examined normal controls. Of 147 patients with severe atrophic gastritis, 42 (29%) had serum PGA and 22 (15%) serum PGC values within the range of those in totally gastrectomized patients. The most sensitive test for fundic atrophic gastritis was the PGA/PGC ratio in serum, the sensitivity and specificity being 99% and 94%, respectively (discrimination limit, 5.5). Correspondingly, the positive predictive value was 98%, and the negative predictive value 98%. Of 29 unselected patients with gastric adenocarcinoma 22 (76%) had serum PGA/PGC values lower than the discrimination limit for atrophic gastritis. We conclude that the relatively simple analysis of PGA and PGC in serum is a powerful test for fundic atrophic gastritis with several potential areas of application.

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No significant differences in outcome regarding balance function or perceived symptoms were found between home training with or without additional physical therapy.