Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease

This is a disease where there is pain in a persons lower back. This is usually due to an injury where a person may turn their lower half around the lumbar area and hurt it. This also can come from use over time.

The symptoms are usually just pain in the lower back. The pain is usually worse when doing something specific like bending or sitting a certain way. It says that over time it will get better because the disc can no longer inflame surrounding structures and will actually stabalize and no longer move.

This can be helped with medication for the pain and inflammation. Also the person can go through physical therapy and if these do not work then surgery can be looked into but it is treated first without surgery.

My information was found on

http://www.spine-health.com/Conditions/Degenerative-Disc-Disease/Lumbar-Degenerative-Disc-Disease.html

http://www.eorthopod.com/images/ContentImages/spine/spine_lumbar/degeneration/lumbar_degeneration_intro01.jpg

http://www.atlasbooks.com/marktplc/images/b00941chap3fig32.jpg

Jefferson's Fracture

I Jefferson's fracture is fracture named after a man, Sir Geoffrey Jefferson. This was due to the fact that he saw a few cases that were all the same back in the 1920's. This fracture consists of a break in the first vertebrae. Usually is a break in the posterior part and then with this comes break in other parts including the arches. This fracture is known as a 4 break fracture. Not always does it entail 4 breaks sometimes just a couple. The cause of such a break is from some kind of trauma to the head. Falling on the head or diving in a pool and hitting the bottom. The symptoms include pain and sometimes damage to the arteries in the neck. There is usually no neurological signs of damage. To treat this type of fracture they try to first use some kind of brace to stabilize the fracture and heal it without surgery. If this does not work they go in and fuse the first 3 cervical vertebrae.

Information found on:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_fracture

http://www.learningradiology.com/caseofweek/caseoftheweekpix2006/cow188arr.jpg

http://www.gentili.net/images/200/JeffersonCT1.jpg

Bow Hunters Syndrome

Bow Hunters Syndrome AKA cervical vertigo or vertebral artery compression is where the veterbral artery that runs up to the brain gets blocked or narrowed with certain turning of the head. This can be due to a cervical spine abnormality. The veterbral artery supplies the back of the brain and with this blood flow being cut off, a stroke can happen. Usually the patient has symptoms of dizziness. A MRI, MRA, or Angiogram can be used to see Bow Hunters Syndrome. They can treat this by preforming surgery to make sure the cervical spine is not putting so much pressure on the Artery. Sometims they just use some type of neck brace to fix it.

infomation and pictures found on the following websites:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://content.revolutionhealth.com/contentimages/images-image_popup-ans7_bowhunter_stroke.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.revolutionhealth.com/conditions/brain-nerves/stroke/symptoms/bow-hunters-stroke&h=432&w=400&sz=18&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=BmgS8c6Is6touM:&tbnh=126&tbnw=117&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbow%2Bhunters%2Bsyndrome%2B%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

http://rad.usuhs.edu/medpix/tachy_pics/thumb/synpic27426.jpg

http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/bppv/positional.htm

Ranula

Ranula means "frog like" and is a cyst under the tongue. It is formed on the floor of the mouth and looks like a frog in the way their mouth bulges when they make noises. A salivary gland is blocked and ruptured and that is what causes a ranula. A ranula can be treated by actually removing it in a surgery known as marsupialization. There is usually a lot of swelling and has a blue appereance in color. Most people do not have symptoms unless they are very large and some pain may be involved.

My information was found on:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranula

Images found on:

http://www.radpod.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/plunging_ranula_1.jpg

http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/elsevier/dental/f0533-01.jpg

Vein of Galen Malformation

The Vein of Galen Malformation is where the blood is going from the artery right into the vein. This vein of galen is big and deep in the back of the brain. Without the blood going through the capillaries it is not slowing down at all like it is supposed to. Also it is not exchanging the oxygen with all the tissue that is around. With this blood going so fast right to the heart, it is leading to congestive heart failure.

This is seen in babies. Some are seen during an ultrasound but many are not known until after birth. They are noticed soon after birth due to rapid heart failure. Another problem is the infants are experiencing hydrocephalus. The treatment for this is embolization. They go in through the back of the brain and through the arteries. Then either coils, particles, or a glue in injected to stop the blood flow in the malformation. This usually does not work completely after the first time. After it has been done enough to cut the blood flow off then the kid will most likely lead a normal life.

My information was found on:

http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site2162/mainpageS2162P16.html

Pictures found on the following:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://alwaysfamily.com/kiera/vein_of_galen_pre_small.jpg&imgrefurl=http://alwaysfamily.com/kiera/Vein%2520of%2520Galen%2520Malformations.htm&h=138&w=150&sz=10&hl=en&start=9&um=1&tbnid=M930xCqqOePVUM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=96&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvein%2Bof%2Bgalen%2B%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.neurosurgery.ufl.edu/Images/DPArt9.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.neurosurgery.ufl.edu/Patients/galen.shtml&h=248&w=275&sz=41&hl=en&start=27&um=1&tbnid=l2kMO2G6NYfObM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=114&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvein%2Bof%2Bgalen%2B%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Angiofibroma

Angiofibroma is also know as a juvenile naopharyngeal angiofibroma. The angiofibroma is a very agressive tumor that is benign and located in the posterior part of the nasal cavity. It occurs in males and begins around the age of puberity. They say the tumor has something to do with testosterone and why it is found in males. It is not a very common tumor and only makes up .5 percent of all tumors in the head region. It is a very vascular tumor and because of this a symptom is bleeding from the nose. Some other symptoms include nasal blockage or problems due to the tumor growing into other spaces such as the sinuses or orbits. These are easily seen on MRI or CT's. They will just keep growing and will displace structures as it goes. To treat this tumor surgery is done and maybe radiation therapy.

My information found on the following websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasopharyngeal_angiofibroma

http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic2758.htm

http://www.thedoctorsdoctor.com/Diseases/angiofibroma.htm

Pictures:

http://www.sickkids.on.ca/otolaryngology/IMAGES/angio.JPG

http://www.radpod.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/juvenile_angiofibroma_gd_ax.jpg

This website actually shows a tumor being taken out.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sickkids.on.ca/otolaryngology/IMAGES/angio.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.sickkids.on.ca/otolaryngology/angiofib.asp&h=204&w=300&sz=24&hl=en&start=13&um=1&tbnid=PQRefIN9NFPVVM:&tbnh=79&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dangiofibroma%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Coats Disease

A disease that is not common or hereditary and we are not sure what causes it is Coats disease. Other names for this disease are exudative retinitis and retinal telangiectasis. With this disease the blood vessels do not develope correctly behind the retina. With the research that has been done they do think that this disease has something to do with genetics and that people ar emost likely to have the disease when they are born.

This disease happens to males in the first 10 years of their lives. It mostly occurs in only one eye and happens gradually. They start to first loose site and then their retina can actually come unattached. Where normally the blood vessels do not leak, with this disease they do leak and then that slowly starts to destroy the retina. When the vessls are leaking they will leave cholestral depostits and that is what will, over time, detach the retina.

You know when you take a picture of someone and their eyes are red in the picture? With this disease, the kids eye will be yellow instead of red in a picture. I never knew that the redness is due to seeing the reflection of the blood vessels behing a persons eye.

If the disease is caught early and the bad blood vessels are not yet around the optic nerve then laser surgery or a surgery where they go and freeze the bad blood vessel (cryotherapy) can be preformed. This disease is not always go the same for everyone. Sometimes it may get better on its own or maybe just stop at a stage. If there is the total retinal detachment then they will most likely be blind and may even have to have thier eye take out.

Information found on

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coats_disease

Images found on

http://budcare.org/zimages/Eyesection.gif

http://www.coatsdisease.org/index.html

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://fitsweb.uchc.edu/student/selectives/mMeyer/retino9.jpg&imgrefurl=http://fitsweb.uchc.edu/student/selectives/mMeyer/retinoblastoma.htm&h=220&w=350&sz=15&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=iZ2a81r1JDBsqM:&tbnh=75&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcoats%2Bdisease%2Bmri%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

Hypoituitarism

There are many differen tumors that can affect the Pituitary gland. The pituitary gland secretes many hormones. With Hypoituitarism, the pituitary is not producing the correct amount of hormones if any. These hormones control many functions on the body such as growth. Hypoituitarism usually occurs gradually and causes weakness, fatige, headaches, and many other problems depending on what hormone is being affected. The most common reason for this is due to a tumor on the pituitary gland. This tumor can grow and start affecting other parts of the brain like pressing on the optic nerve and causing vision loss. Other causes for Hypoituitarism can be due to a head injury or a stroke. Treatment of the tumor is usually fixed by surgery and removing the tumor. Sometimes radiation treatment is used. Another treatment that is used even after surgery is hormone replacements. There are prescriptions that doctors can prescribe that will give the person normal amounts of hormone that they are missing. Hypoituitarism is usually curable if caught early. Since this usually takes awhile to be diagnosed it can cause problems that may not be able to be fixed.

Information found on:

http://healthabcpedia.net/hypopituitarism/329441.html

http://www.omni-guide.com/img/PituitaryTumor.jpg

http://depts.washington.edu/neurosur/ptcare/images/silbergeld/pit/4.jpg

Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

Of the many pathologies that take place in the temporal area, the one that I have researched is called Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. It is due to the infection of the facial nerve VII.

This nerve runs through the ear which is in the temporal region. The infection is caused by the virus, varicella-zoster. This is the same virus that causes chicken pox and is the reason most of us have it in our bodies. If the virus is not completely destroyed by our immune systems then it will remain in our body and some day may reoccur and inflame the facial nerve VII.









The symptoms are: a red rash that is very painful, blisters that can occur throughout your ear and in your mouth, facial weakness, and problems with your ear such as hearing loss. This usually occurs in adults over the age of 40 and is very rare is kids. The chance of death is very low and most the time no permanent damage occurs, if taken care of early. Doctors treat this by giving the patient medication to help with pain and the virus. The person infected needs to keep clean and take care of the blisters. Other than that there is not much for the person to do. They do need to stay away from people who have never had chicken pox along with babies and pregnant women.




I never knew the virus would stay in your body and something like this could occur. I am glad to know that it is rare, there is a treatment, and most people are fine.



Cites that were used to get information of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome:

Picture one and information
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ramsay-hunt-syndrome/DS00878/DSECTION=2

MRI picture
http://home.flash.net/~drrad/tf/052796a.jpg

Chiari Malformation

We are studying Head pathologies and I chose to talk about Chiari Malfomation. This pathology is when the cerebellum actually goes down through the foramen magnum and blocks it. This no longer allows the flow of Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF). The blocking of the CSF flow then can cause a Syrinx or a cyst where the CSF has no where to go. The Syrinx can get worse and turn into a syringomyelia and can start to destroy the spinal cord. The symptoms that a person may have would be dizziness, limb weakness, balance, and movement problems. We have learnt that balance and movements are some of the things that the cerebellum controls, which makes since that these would be symptoms. The most common treatment is to have surgery. This involves going in and allowing the CSF to flow through like normal.

I found all of my information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold-Chiari_malformation if you would like to read more about this pathology.

The MRI picture in the top left was found at www.pressenter.com/~wacma/mri.htm and the pictures side by side were found http://www.northshorelij.com/body.cfm?ID=6409.

intro

Hi my name is Lesley. I am doing these blogs for a class in Radiology. I am really exicted to write about all the different pathologys and I hope everyone likes them as well as I do. :)