Klippel-Feil Syndrome

Alright folks. Here is something interesting and cool looking, but not cool for the patient. I am going to talk about Klippel-Feil Syndrome which is a condition where portions of the spine fuses together. There are three different classifications of Klippel-Feil Syndrome. Type one is when all of the cervical vertebrae and the upper thoracic vertebra are fused together. Type two Klippel-Feil Syndrome is where there are a few cervical vertebrae that are fused together, and Type three Klippel-Feil Syndrome is when there is also thoracic and Lumbar fusion along with the cervical vertebrae. This is commonly found with individuals who are born with this condition.

SYMPTOMS OF KLIPPEL-FEIL SYNDROME

There are three main symptoms that seem to be apparent with individuals who have Klippel-Feil syndrome. These individuals will have a low hair line, short neck, and a neck that has low mobility. Most of the times individuals who have this condition do not even know that they have it and it is found by incidental findings. For hose individuals who have severe cases of Klippel-Feil syndrome will come in with wry neck, which is abnormal twisting of the neck to one side or the other, sometimes with twitching. Patients will also present with severe abnormalities of the urinary system and some neurological symptoms of numbness, tingling or or weakness due to the vertebrae may be impeding on the nerves and vessels of the spine. Klippel-Feil syndrome is believed to occur during the eighth week of gestation and so that is why physicians belive that there is a relationship with individuals who have Klippel-Feil syndrome and abnormalities of the urinary system.

TREATMENT

For these individuals most of the time treatment will not be needed, however for those individuals with severe cases, they might need surgery to fix the cervical fusion, which will release any pressure that might be impeding on the vessels of the neck or nerves. Physical Therapy is also an option that can aid in the mobility of the neck.

BOW HUNTERS SYNDROME

Bow hunter's syndrome is an interesting syndrome in that it is named after how a bow hunter's who usually turn their head significantly to shoot the bow and arrow. Bow Hunter's syndrome is a condition where the contralateral vertebral artery is stenosed, compressed, or occluded. Since the vertebral arteries supply blood to the posterior portion of the cranium, then patients are going to have issues with sight, vertigo and occasions of syncopy. When the condition is severe then when the patient turns their head toward the effected side of the neck then the patient will experience serious symptoms of syncopy and will be temporarily resolved once the patient turns their head back to a neutral position. If the condition does worsen then a patient will have what is called a Bow Hunter's Stroke, also known as an ischemic stroke.

Physicians are able to use CT angiography to see the seriousness of the vertebral artery. The patient will have to turn their heads throughout the study so that images of the vertebral artery in different positions can be viewed. Other ways to view the possibility of diagnosing Bow Hunter's syndrome could be Dopler Ultrasound and/or Cerebral Angiography.

If the patient is having compression from the vertebral bone of C1 or C2 then a surgeon can go in and perform surgery to release the compression of the artery. Many times ligaments or tendons in the neck are compressing on the artery and then measures can be taken to release the compression of the artery by those surrounding structures.

carcinoma of the tongue

Can you imagine only having half of your face left because of carcinoma of the tongue that has metastasized to other portions of your face? I do believe that would make life a bit harder, but would definitely teach you a good lesson in life about why we should take care of ourselves.

First of all you need to understand that there are two parts of the tongue. There is the part that is considered the oral tongue and there is the part that is identified as the base of the tongue. This is important because the patient will exhibit different signs and there are different treatments whenever a patient is diagnosed with carcinoma of the tongue.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the tongue is by large the main type of cancer that occurs in the tongue, but there are other types of rare forms of cancer. Usually an individual will come to a physician complaining of tongue pain, a lesion that just will not go away, sensitivity of a lesion that is easily irritated and bleeds easily for a long period of time, difficulty swallowing, change in the sound of the patients voice, or sometimes a patient will exhibit a sense of being full. Most of the time the lesion is located on one side of the tongue and strays from the normal pink hue that a tongue usually has, when referring to cancer of the oral tongue. Now with carcinoma of the base of the tongue the patient is going to exhibit the symptoms that seem to be a little more severe, like the changing of the sound of the voice, difficulty swallowing, possible neck pain( due to metastasizing).

Most of the time a patient who has been diagnosed with have two main options. The individual will be given the opportunity of surgery or radiation therapy. Most of the time surgery is pushed due to the fact that a patient who may have recurring lesions, then radiation therapy will be an option. Some patients might complain about how surgery could possibly disfigure there tongue therefore causing issues with speech, but doctors like to point out that there is hardly in change in how a patient might speak if any change. It is debatable though about what method is best for the patient. those individuals who do have poor heart health and would be put in a dangerous situation if placed under anaesthesia, then these individuals are good candidates for radiation therapy.

Unfortunately many individuals will let tongue cancer go and this will cause metastisation that will travel down to the neck and up to the brain. Individuals are recommended to see a dentist on a regular basis so that they may be able to get check ups regularly to monitor any possibilities of carcinoma of the tongue to occur.