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[Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of hypothyroidism on femoral cartilage thickness by using ultrasound, which has been found to be useful in the early diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis. [Subjects and Methods] Forty patients diagnosed with hypothyroidism and 30 age-, gender-, smoking status, physical activity-, and body mass index-matched healthy subjects were enrolled. The thickness of the femoral articular cartilage was measured using a 7- to 12-MHz linear probe. Three mid-point measurements were taken from each knee at the lateral condyle, intercondylar area, and medial condyle. [Results] Age, gender, body mass index, smoking status, and physical activity were similar between the groups, but patients with hypothyroidism had thinner femoral cartilage than the healthy controls at all measurement sites. Nonetheless, the differences were not statistically significant (except in the case of the left medial condyle). [Conclusion] Ultrasonographic measurement of femoral cartilage thickness may be useful in the early diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis in patients with hypothyroidism.

Serdaroglu Beyazal, Munevver/0000-0001-5903-5708 WOS: 000348146300008 PubMed: 25642030 [Purpose] the aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the effects of whirlpool bath and neuromuscular electrical stimulation on complex regional pain syndrome. [Subjects and Methods] Sixty outpatients (30 per group) with complex regional pain syndrome participated. They received 15 treatment 5 days per week for 3 weeks. the outcome measures were the visual analogue scale for pain, edema, range of motion of the wrist (flexion and extension), fingertip-to-distal palmar crease distance, hand grip strength, and pinch strength. All parameters were measured at baseline (week 0) and at the trial end (week 3). [Results] There were significant improvements in all parameters after therapy in both groups. the whirlpool bath group showed significantly better improvements in the visual analogue score, hand edema, hand grip strength, wrist range of motion (both flexion and extension), fingertip-to-distal palmar crease distance, and the three-point and fingertip pinch strengths than the neuromuscular electrical stimulation group; however, the lateral pinch strengths were similar. [Conclusion] Both whirlpool bath and neuromuscular electrical stimulation are effective in the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome, but the efficacy of the whirlpool bath treatment was better.