Sanitaservice -Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Consorziale

The investigators propose a multicenter retrospective study to assess clinical, biochemical, and auxological characteristics at diagnosis and during follow-up in a cohort of Caucasian pediatric patients diagnosed with autoimmune hyperthyroidism before puberty. These prepubertal patients will be compared with a control group of post-pubertal patients with Graves' disease.
This study aims to enhance the understanding of autoimmune hyperthyroidism in prepubertal patients by providing a detailed evaluation of disease onset, therapeutic response, and growth-related outcomes. The inclusion of a carefully matched post-pubertal control group will allow for robust comparative analysis and identification of age-dependent clinical patterns and prognostic indicators, ultimately supporting more tailored and effective management strategies in pediatric populations at this particular age.

Muscle injuries are frequent traumatic events in daily life, particularly during sports. In sports, their incidence varies from 10% to 55% of total injuries. According to the Mueller Wohlfart classification, muscle injuries are classified into direct traumatic injuries (contusion-laceration) and indirect traumatic injuries, which are further divided into non-structural injuries (grade I and II) and structural injuries. Structural lesions are further divided into partial muscle lesions (grade III): 3 A, minor partial lesion, i.e. lesion of one or more primary bundles with a secondary bundle; 3 B, moderate partial lesion, i.e. lesion of at least one secondary bundle and with a rupture area < 50% of the muscle surface; and (sub)total muscle injury (grade IV).

Recently, two works have proposed the application of Extracorporeal Shock Waves Therapy (ESWT) in the treatment of trigger finger. Yildirim and colleagues (2016) compared shock waves with corticosteroid infiltration. both methods proved effective at 6 months. The authors suggested that shock wave treatment could be a valid non-invasive therapy option for this pathology. Chen and colleagues (2021) analyzed two different shock wave protocols [high and low Energy Density Flux (EDF)] vs placebo. All treatment groups showed improvements within 6 months. The high-energy treatment (EDF 0.01 mj/mm2) demonstrated greater effects on clinical remission and functional recovery compared to the other two groups in the study. The aim of our study is to compare the effects of shock waves vs the use of the orthosis.