Abstract

Bone fluorosis is a rare metabolic disease characterized by massive bone fixation of fluorine. It is seen endemically around phosphate mines in North Africa. Neurologic complications, such as medullar compression may rarely reveal the disease. We report a case of cervical myelopathy due to bone fluorosis causing tetraparesis. Medullar compression was caused by posterior vertebral ligament calcification. Diagnosis was based on the characteristic radiologic aspect, and confirmed by the dosage of serum a

• Related Studies :

  • [Etiology and treatment of postoperative spinal cord injury for patients undergoing laminectomy for fluorosis thoracic canal stenosis].

    OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the etiology of postoperative spinal cord injury (PSCI) for patients undergoing laminectomy for fluorosis thoracic canal stenosis (FTCS) and summarize the methods of diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: From 2006 to 2009, a total of 192 FTCS cases underwent laminectomy. Among them, 16 cases with gradual postoperative neural deterioration were finally

  • [Diagnosis and treatment of hematoma-induced spinal cord injury after operation for fluorosis cervical canal stenosis].

    Objective: To study the causes of hematoma-induced spinal cord injury after surgical treatment of fluorosis cervical canal stenosis (FCCS) so as to conclude the methods for early diagnosis and treatment. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on 329 cases of FCCS undergone expansive laminoplasty (ELOP) between 2006 and 2009.Eighteen out of

  • Ossification of the transverse atlantal ligament associated with fluorosis: a report of two cases and review of the literature

    STUDY DESIGN: Two cases of ossification of the transverse atlantal ligament (OTAL) are reported, and the literature is reviewed. OBJECTIVE: To report two cases of OTAL, which share fluorosis as a possible etiologic link. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: OTAL, a rare phenomenon, may cause upper cervical canal stenosis and spastic quadriparesis. However,

  • An uncommon presentation of fluorosis

    A 70 years old farmer from Yemen was referred as a case of osteoarthritis of both knees for preoperative rehabilitation procedures. Six years before he developed progressive skeletal stiffness. By 70 years he became dependent for ambulation and many other self-care activities. He showed quadriparesis resulting from compression of spinal cord

  • Ossification of the ligamentum flavum as a result of fluorosis causing myelopathy: report of two cases

    OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) is increasingly being recognized as a cause of myeloradiculopathy. However, the cause of such OLF has been identified only occasionally. The purpose of this case report is to highlight one more cause of OLF causing myelopathy. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Two middle-aged men residing

• Related FAN Content :

  • Fluoride & Spinal Stenosis

    Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spaces in the spine that results in pressure being placed on the spinal cord and/or nerve roots. Although stenosis can develop without symptoms, it may produce numbness, tingling, pain and difficulty in walking, as well as a heavy/tired feeling in the legs. It is estimated that 250,000 to 500,000 Americans currently have symptoms of spinal stenosis. Skeletal fluorosis is one cause of stenosis.

  • Fluoride & Osteoarthritis

    While the osteoarthritic effects that occurred from fluoride exposure were once considered to be limited to those with skeletal fluorosis, recent research shows that fluoride can cause osteoarthritis in the absence of traditionally defined fluorosis. Conventional methods used for detecting skeletal fluorosis, therefore, will fail to detect the full range of people suffering from fluoride-induced osteoarthritis.

  • "Pre-Skeletal" Fluorosis

    As demonstrated by the studies below, skeletal fluorosis may produce adverse symptoms, including arthritic pains, clinical osteoarthritis, gastrointestinal disturbances, and bone fragility, before the classic bone change of fluorosis (i.e., osteosclerosis in the spine and pelvis) is detectable by x-ray. Relying on x-rays, therefore, to diagnosis skeletal fluorosis will invariably fail to protect those individuals who are suffering from the pre-skeletal phase of the disease. Moreover, some individuals with clinical skeletal fluorosis will not develop an increase in bone density, let alone osteosclerosis, of the spine. Thus, relying on unusual increases in spinal bone density will under-detect the rate of skeletal fluoride poisoning in a population.

  • Skeletal Fluorosis: The Misdiagnosis Problem

    It is a virtual certainty that there are individuals in the general population unknowingly suffering from some form of skeletal fluorosis as a result of a doctor's failure to consider fluoride as a cause of their symptoms. Proof that this is the case can be found in the following case reports of skeletal fluorosis written by doctors in the U.S. and other western countries. As can be seen, a consistent feature of these reports is that fluorosis patients--even those with crippling skeletal fluorosis--are misdiagnosed for years by multiple teams of doctors who routinely fail to consider fluoride as a possible cause of their disease.

  • X-Ray Diagnosis of Skeletal Fluorosis

    In 1937, Kaj Roholm published his seminal study Fluorine Intoxication in which he described three phases of bone changes that occur in skeletal fluorosis. (See below). These three phases, which are detectable by x-ray, have been widely used as a diagnostic guide for detecting the disease. They describe an osteosclerotic bone disease that develops first in the axial skeleton (the spine, pelvis, and ribs), and ultimately results in extensive calcification of ligaments and cartilage, as well as bony outgrowths such as osteophytes and exostoses. Subsequent research has found, however, that x-rays provide a very crude measure for diagnosing fluorosis since the disease can cause symptoms and effects (e.g., osteoarthritis) before, and in the absence of, radiologicaly detectable osteosclerosis in the spine.