Parsonage-Turner syndrome following monkeypox infection is a rare form of peripheral neuropathy seen in orthopaedic practice and described only once in the literature. We present the case of a man in his 30s with severe shoulder pain and subsequent amyotrophy 2 weeks after monkeypox infection. Our report encompasses the initial findings, radiographic examinations and follow-up over a 6-month period. To confirm the diagnosis, MRI and electrostimulation conduction studies were conducted, highlighting their importance as valuable diagnostic tools in conjunction with a thorough physical examination. Supportive treatment, including physical therapy and pain management, forms the cornerstone of management, while surgical intervention is reserved for refractory cases or when mechanical complications arise. Prognosis varies among individuals. This case report expands the understanding of neurological complications of monkeypox infection. Clinicians should include Parsonage-Turner syndrome in their differential diagnosis for patients presenting with symptoms of peripheral brachial plexus neuropathy following viral infections, including monkeypox.

Background: Computed tomography (CT)-based sarcopenia is a promising predictor of postoperative complications and recovery. However, studies on the longitudinal evolution of skeletal muscle markers are lacking and findings regarding its correlation with survival are still not clear. Methods: We conducted a retrospective single-center cohort study of consecutive patients undergoing curative-intent colon cancer surgery. Skeletal muscle area (SMA), skeletal muscle index (SMI), skeletal muscle radiation attenuation (SMRA), and intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) area and index (IMATI) were measured on a single axial CT slice at the third lumbar vertebral level before surgery and at 6, 12, and 24 months after. Descriptive statistics were used to report the evolution over time of CT-based sarcopenia markers. Their correlation with overall survival was analyzed using Cox’s proportional hazards regression analysis. Results: The final cohort included 102 patients (65.7% males) with a mean age of 66 ± 13 years. Eighty-five (86.7%) patients were alive at 24 months, and forty-five (45.9%) underwent a CT scan at all time points. CT-based sarcopenia markers remained statistically stable over 2 years. Age (HR 1.07, 95% CI 1.00–1.14) and ASA score (HR 2.4, 95% CI 1.00–5.7) were negative independent predictive factors. Patients with larger differences ($\mathrm{\Delta }$) of IMAT area and IMATI at 12 months, HR 0.79 (95% CI 0.67–0.93) and 0.49 (95% CI 0.30–0.80), respectively, had a lower mortality. Conclusions: CT-based markers of skeletal muscle quantity (SMA, SMI) and quality (IMAT area, IMATI) remained statistically stable after curative-intent colon cancer surgery. No preoperative CT-based sarcopenia markers were predictive of overall survival. Larger cohorts are needed to generalize these initial findings.

Background: Stroke induces both focal and remote brain alterations, including early degeneration of deep grey nuclei (DGN). This study evaluates whether volumetric and diffusion changes in DGN during the acute-subacute phase after cortical middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke can predict 3-month functional outcome. Methods: In this retrospective study, consecutive patients ≥ 18 years with first acute-subacute cortical MCA stroke (< 21 days) who underwent 3T MRI including DWI and T1-MP-RAGE imaging between 2018 and 2020 were included. Demographic variables, cardiovascular risk factors, time from stroke onset, and functional outcome were collected. DGN volumes were automatically quantified using the MorphoBox application and normalized as Z-scores. ADC values were extracted by applying segmented DGN onto the ADC map. Infarct volume was manually segmented. Ipsilateral–contralateral differences and asymmetry indices were computed. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of 3-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS) delta. Results: A total of 153 patients (69.3 ± 15.3 years; 85 men) were included. Mean infarct volume was 8.3 ± 20.5 mL. Ipsilateral thalamic (p = 0.001) and caudate (p = 0.006) Z-scores were significantly lower than contralateral values. Thalamic Z-score difference was associated with infarct volume (β = 0.27 [0.12, 0.42], p = 0.001). Thalamic ADC differences were also associated with time from stroke onset (F = 6.55 [3, 148], p = 0.0003). Finally, putaminal Z-score asymmetry (β = − 0.24 [–0.44, − 0.04], p = 0.021) and thalamic ADC asymmetry (β = 0.24 [0.04, 0.44], p = 0.021) independently predicted 3-month mRS delta. Conclusion: Early volumetric and diffusion alterations in deep grey nuclei occur in the acute-subacute phase after cortical MCA stroke and are associated with infarct burden and time from onset. These remote changes can predict short-term functional outcome.

Prior research suggests a connection between osteoarthritis and gout at sites commonly affected by gouty attacks. Whether this connection exists at sites with known monosodium urate crystal deposition but less commonly affected by gouty attacks, such as the lumbosacral spine, has not been previously investigated. We assessed whether lumbosacral osteoarthritis is more prevalent and more severe in subjects with gout compared with controls, and whether lumbosacral osteoarthritis is associated with higher levels of spinal monosodium urate deposition. Fifty gout subjects and 25 controls underwent dual-energy computed tomography imaging of the lumbosacral spine. We assessed lumbosacral osteoarthritis using a modification of a validated computed tomography scoring system, incorporating grade of intervertebral disc narrowing and facet joint osteoarthritis, and presence of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis. We quantified spinal monosodium urate deposition using the default post-processing algorithm, plus a maximally specific algorithm to exclude potential artefacts. Forty-six gout subjects and 25 controls, average age 62 years, were included in the final analysis. Both gout and control subjects exhibited high rates of facet joint osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease, with no difference in prevalence or severity between groups. Gout subjects did not have differing prevalence of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis vs. controls. Subjects with lumbosacral osteoarthritis did not have higher levels of spinal monosodium urate deposition. Overall, lumbosacral osteoarthritis was not more prevalent or more severe in gout patients compared with controls, and spinal monosodium urate crystal deposition did not differ between patients with and without lumbosacral osteoarthritis.