Peter Schlapbach

The prevalence of hyperostotic spurs (HS) in different areas of the shoulder was studied in 36 probands with and 58 probands without thoracospinal hyperostosis on lateral chest radiographs. Bilateral shoulder radiographs in three projections were analysed blindly, recording the presence of HS at six separate sites (glenoid, greater tuberculum, acro...

The prevalence of hyperostotic spurs (HS) in different areas of the shoulder was studied in 36 probands with and 58 probands without thoracospinal hyperostosis on lateral chest radiographs. Bilateral shoulder radiographs in three projections were analysed blindly, recording the presence of HS at six separate sites (glenoid, greater tuberculum, acro...

The therapeutic objectives of conventional back schools are a) instruction of people with and without back pain to use their backs according to currently accepted ergonomic principles, b) improvement of the cardiovascular performance of back school participants and c) acquisition of knowledge of simple methods of pain and stress management. Due to...

The presence of clinically palpable finger joint nodules (Heberden's and Bouchard's nodes) was documented in 123 consecutive cases with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) of the thoracic spine and 191 matched DISH negative controls. The prevalence of palpable finger joint nodules was almost twice as frequent in cases with spinal DISH c...

The diagnostic clarification of joint effusions of unknown origin is a challenge to every primary-care physician. Important diagnostic procedures are arthrocentesis and analysis of the aspirated synovial fluid. Synovial fluid analysis frequently allows differentiation between harmless effusions due to osteoarthritis and crystal induced inflammation...

Elbow pain is a common complaint and elbow hyperostosis a frequent radiological condition. However, little is known about the association between the clinical and radiological findings. To evaluate the relationship between spinal and extraspinal hyperostotic features and the clinical relevance of elbow hyperostosis we have performed the first contr...

Fifteen patients with noninfectious arthritis and morning stiffness were examined clinically, and with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the metacarpophalangeal level of one hand in the evening and early the following morning. Our purpose was to determine the prevalence of hand flexor tenosynovitis, and to look for diurnal changes in the swelling...

Shoulder pain is a common complaint and shoulder hyperostosis a frequent radiological condition. However, little is known about the association between the clinical and radiological findings. To evaluate the clinical relevance of shoulder hyperostosis we performed a controlled, blind study of 99 hospitalized probands with and without thoracospinal...

Low back pain is a very frequent complaint. Unfortunately, a specific diagnosis can be made only in a minority of cases. Many pain provocation and alleviation tests have been done, and their results help the clinician in some cases to locate the origin of pain in the lumbar spine. It has been postulated that these tests should be reserved for the r...

Clinical suspicion, positive gram stains and cultures of the synovial fluid are the fundamental criteria for the diagnosis of bacterial arthritis. Bacterial arthritis may, however, show an oligosymptomatic clinical course and thus lead to a delay in diagnosis. The case records of 43 patients with bacterial arthritis were reviewed retrospectively. R...

Pain control is one of the primary goals of physiotherapeutical methods. Unfortunately, the true mode of pain relief by most of the applied physical methods remains hypothetical. Based on a problem orientated proceeding, decisive factors for the prescription of physical methods shall be presented. Emphasis has been placed on the practicability, saf...

This is the first controlled study of the frequency of back pain in a European caucasian population with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). Elderly patients admitted to hospital for reasons other than back pain were assessed for the presence of spinal DISH using the routine lateral chest radiograph films. A total of 106 probands (82 m...

Bacterial arthritis is an emergency situation in which rapid diagnosis and immediate therapy are the main factors conditioning a satisfactory functional outcome. Not infrequently, bacterial arthritis may involve only mild clinical features, thus leading to a delay in diagnosis. The case histories of 43 patients with bacterial arthritis are reviewed...

A woman with relapsing polychondritis presented with progressive and deforming polyarthritis (but always negative for rheumatoid factor) 14 years before the appearance of typical clinical and histological changes of nasal and auricular cartilage destruction.

Relapsing polychondritis is a rare, at times fatal systemic disease involving inflammatory destruction mainly of cartilaginous structures. The sensory organs, respiratory tract, cardiovascular system and kidneys are most frequently involved. Based on the current state of knowledge it seems probable that relapsing polychondritis is an autoimmune dis...

Nine cases of rheumatoid arthritis with pleuropulmonary involvement illustrate the most common pulmonary symptoms of this disease: rheumatoid pleurisy, interstitial pneumopathy, pulmonary rheumatoid nodules and bacterial pleuropulmonary infections. Each of these pleuropulmonary manifestations may precede the joint disease and cause considerable dia...

Mit Zusfassung Diss. med. Zürich (KA).