BACKGROUND Double-blind evaluation of acupuncture treatment has not previously been reported. We investigated the possible advantage of analgesic effects of needle penetration compared with skin pressure using non-penetrating needles in a double-blind study. METHODS We conducted a double-blind crossover study of penetrating and non-penetrating (placebo) acupuncture trials. We recruited 56 hea...

Four patients with intracranial penetrating injuries from screwdrivers are presented. Two cases were fatal; the others were left with functional deficits. In two of the patients a penetrating injury was not suspected initially because the history was limited and the significance of the small entry wounds were not appreciated. Unless these wounds are carefully examined a penetrating injury is ea...

traumatic coronary artery-cameral fistulas (tcaf) are rare and may present secondary to penetrating injuries (80%) or iatrogenic traumas. early operative intervention remains the recommended treatment modality for accidental traumatic coronary artery fistulas. we report the case of a 17-year-old man who presented with left anterior descending coronary artery-right ventricle fistula following pe...

INTRODUCTION Previous work suggests that patients with isolated penetrating trauma rarely require spinal immobilisation. This study aimed to identify the incidence of mechanically unstable, or potentially mechanically unstable, spinal column injuries in penetrating trauma patients. The study also aimed to identify the incidence of spinal cord injury as a result of penetrating trauma in Scotland...

Background Penetrating cardiac injury has the highest mortality and morbidity rates of all organ injury. The prehospital mortality rate for penetrating cardiac injury was 70 – 80%. Prehospital care including rapid transportation of patients to trauma center and agresive intervention has increased survival rate. The purpose of this study was to show our experience in treatment of patient with pe...

purpose: to determine the long-term visual outcomes and complications of penetrating keratoplasty (pk) performed for keratoconus. methods: hospital records of patients with keratoconus who underwent pk at the ophthalmology center of shaheed sadoughi, yazd, iran, during 1992-2003 were reviewed. we studied records of 84 pk procedures in 72 keratoconus patients. data including best corrected visua...