Howship-Romberg sign caused by an obturator granuloma

John Howship (1781-1841) and growing skull fracture: historical perspective

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Dr. John Howship, a pioneering British surgeon, described the clinical features and pathophysiology of various surgical disorders of the human body. His critical contributions to pediatric neurosurgery came in 1816 when he first described the features of an important childhood condition following head trauma, what he referred to as parietal bone absorption. This condition as depicted by Dr. Howship was soon to be christened by later scholars as traumatic cephalhydrocele, traumatic meningocele, leptomeningeal cyst, meningocele spuria, fibrosing osteitis, cerebrocranial erosion, and growing skull fracture. Nevertheless, the basic features of the condition as observed by Dr. Howship were virtually identical to the characteristics of the above-mentioned disorders. This article describes the life and accomplishments of Dr. Howship and his contributions to the current understanding of growing skull fracture.

Noninvasive radioelectric asymmetric conveyor brain stimulation treatment improves balance in individuals over 65 suffering from neurological diseases: pilot study

Purpose

In the elderly population, problems with walking and balance are very common. These problems seriously affect the quality of life of the elderly. When gait and balance problems are caused by neurological disease, these problems can be more serious and difficult to handle. The aim of this pilot study was to verify the effect of a noninvasive radioelectric conveyor asymmetric brain stimulation protocol, named neuropostural optimization (NPO), to improve balance in neurological elderly.

Patients and methods

Twelve patients suffering from various neurological diseases participated in this study. They were assessed with the Romberg test, which was performed on a computerized stabilometric platform before, immediately following, and 72 hours after NPO was used to improve balance.

Results

The results showed that a stabilization of balance was recorded in all subjects a few minutes after administration of NPO. This stabilization increased 72 hours after treatment.

Conclusion

The results show that NPO could be a valuable therapeutic approach to improve sensory-motor strategies and neurological control of balance in elderly patients suffering from various neurological diseases.