VTechWorks staff will be away for the winter holidays starting Tuesday, December 24, 2024, through Wednesday, January 1, 2025, and will not be replying to requests during this time. Thank you for your patience, and happy holidays!

Browsing by Author "Wenzel, Alyssa"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Distinguishing Pseudosubluxation From True Injury: A Case of C2-3 and C3-4 Subluxation in a Pediatric Patient
    O'Neill, Conor; Wenzel, Alyssa; Walterscheid, Zakk; Carmouche, Jonathan (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2021-12)
    A 6-year-old girl presented with a one-week history of neck pain after a trampoline accident. Cervical radiographs interpreted as pseudosubluxation of C2 on C3. CT demonstrated the reversal of lordosis with anterolisthesis of C2-C3 and C3-C4. Ten weeks after two months of halo traction, radiographs demonstrated anatomic alignment and maintained disk heights. This case highlights the similarities of pseudosubluxation and true injury, emphasizing the need for high index of suspicion in this population and a successful treatment of subluxation using a halo construct.
  • Thumbnail Image
    McArdle Disease vs. Stiff-Person Syndrome: A Case Report Highlighting the Similarities Between Two Rare and Distinct Disorders
    Godbe, Kerilyn; Malaty, Giovanni; Wenzel, Alyssa; Nazeer, Sahana; Grider, Douglas J.; Kinsey, Adrienne (2020-11-10)
    McArdle disease is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of muscle glycogen metabolism that presents with pain and fatigue during exercise. Stiff-Person Syndrome is an autoimmune-related neurologic process characterized by fluctuating muscle rigidity and spasm. Reported is a 41-year-old male who presented to the emergency department due to sudden-onset weakness and chest pain while moving his refrigerator at home. Cardiac workup was non-contributory, but a creatine kinase level > 6,000 warranted a muscle biopsy. The biopsy pathology report was misinterpreted to be diagnostic for McArdle disease given the clinical presentation. After 4 years of treatment without symptomatic improvement, a gradual transition of symptoms from pain alone to pain with stiffness was noted. A positive glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody test resulted in a change of diagnosis to Stiff-Person Syndrome. This is the first known case that highlights the similarities between these two rare and distinct disease processes, highlighting the necessity for thorough history taking, maintenance of a broad differential diagnosis, and knowledge of how best to interpret complex pathology reports.