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Lumbar Intervertebral Instability: A Review
Leone, A., et al. - Intervertebral instability of the lumbar spine is thought to be a possible pathomechanical mechanism underlying low back pain and sciatica and is often an important factor in determining surgical indication for spinal fusion and decompression. Instability of the lumbar spine, however, remains a controversial and poorly understood topic. At present, much controversy exists regarding the proper definition of the condition, the best diagnostic methods, and the most efficacious treatment approaches [more...]

Radiology, 09/28/07

Preoperative Evaluation of Lower Extremity Arteries for Free Fibula Transfer Using MDCT Angiography
Jin, K.N., et al. - We discuss the preoperative application of computed tomographic (CT) angiography to identify legs suitable for free fibular flaps...Conclusions: Computed tomographic angiography is a reliable preoperative imaging technique for the selection of appropriate legs as candidates for fibular free transfer [more...]

Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography, 09/28/07

Atypical Paget's Disease With Quantitative Assessment of Tracer Kinetics
Gnanasegaran, G., et al. - Paget's disease of bone is characterized by alterations in skeletal metabolism, affecting a single or multiple bones. Paget's is usually confined to an individual bone and typically does not spread or extend across joints...Conclusions: This case illustrates an unusual distribution of bone lesions in Paget's disease, which we think could be due to the result of degenerative disease leading to bridging and allowing direct extension of disease from one bone to another [more...]

Clinical Nuclear Medicine , 09/28/07

Graphic Representation of Skeletal Maturity Determinations
Boechat, M.I., et al. - Skeletal maturation determinations are usually reported as numeric data indicating accordance with chronologic age. However, significant changes in skeletal maturation can occur without falling outside two SDs...Conclusion: The graphic representation of successive reports clearly depicts whether values retain their position in relation to the mean. In addition, the report includes computation of the exact SD score [more...]

American Journal of Roentgenology, 09/28/07

Lumbar Intervertebral Instability: A Review
Leone, A., et al. - Intervertebral instability of the lumbar spine is thought to be a possible pathomechanical mechanism underlying low back pain and sciatica and is often an important factor in determining surgical indication for spinal fusion and decompression. Instability of the lumbar spine, however, remains a controversial and poorly understood topic. At present, much controversy exists regarding the proper definition of the condition, the best diagnostic methods, and the most efficacious treatment approaches [more...]

Radiology, 09/28/07

Atypical Paget's Disease With Quantitative Assessment of Tracer Kinetics
Gnanasegaran, G., et al. - Paget's disease of bone is characterized by alterations in skeletal metabolism, affecting a single or multiple bones. Paget's is usually confined to an individual bone and typically does not spread or extend across joints...Conclusions: This case illustrates an unusual distribution of bone lesions in Paget's disease, which we think could be due to the result of degenerative disease leading to bridging and allowing direct extension of disease from one bone to another [more...]

Clinical Nuclear Medicine , 09/28/07

Semiautomatic Segmentation of Vertebrae in Lateral X-rays Using a Conditional Shape Model
Iglesias, J.E., et al. - Manual annotation of the full contour of the vertebrae in lateral x-rays for subsequent morphometry is time-consuming. The standard six-point morphometry is commonly used instead. It has been shown that the information from the complete contour improves the quality of the study...Conclusions: The proposed method provides hence a richer description than the six points, and can be used as input for shape-based morphometry to detect and quantify vertebral deformation more accurately [more...]

Academic Radiology, 09/28/07

Osteoarthritic Cartilage Is More Homogeneous Than Healthy Cartilage Identification of a Superior Region of Interest Colocalized With a Major Risk Factor for Osteoarthritis
Qazi, A.A., et al. - Conclusion: The validation study supported the use of cartilage homogeneity as a tool for the early detection of knee OA and for separating groups of healthy subjects from those who have disease. Our automatic, unbiased partitioning algorithm based on a general statistical framework outlined the cartilage region of interest that best separated healthy from OA conditions on the basis of homogeneity discrimination. We have shown that OA affects certain areas of the cartilage more distinctly, and these areas are located more toward the peripheral region of the cartilage [more...]

Academic Radiology, 09/28/07

Preoperative Evaluation of Lower Extremity Arteries for Free Fibula Transfer Using MDCT Angiography
Jin, K.N., et al. - We discuss the preoperative application of computed tomographic (CT) angiography to identify legs suitable for free fibular flaps...Conclusions: Computed tomographic angiography is a reliable preoperative imaging technique for the selection of appropriate legs as candidates for fibular free transfer [more...]

Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography, 09/28/07

Classification of Intervertebral Disk Degeneration with Axial T2 Mapping
Watanabe, A., et al. - The aim of this study was to establish an MRI classification system for intervertebral disks using axial T2 mapping, with a special focus on evaluating early degenerative intervertebral disks...Conclusion: Axial T2 mapping provides a more T2-based classification. The new system may be able to detect early degenerative changes before the conventional classification systems can [more...]

American Journal of Roentgenology, 09/27/07

Articular Cartilage Defects Detected with 3D Water-Excitation True FISP: Prospective Comparison with Sequences Commonly Used for Knee Imaging
Duc, S.R., et al. - To prospectively compare the accuracy of three-dimensional (3D) water-excitation (WE) true fast imaging with steady-state precession (FISP) in the diagnosis of articular cartilage defects with that of sequences commonly used to image the knee, with arthroscopy or surgery as the reference standard...Conclusion: Three-dimensional WE true FISP enables high contrast between joint fluid and articular cartilage and a diagnostic performance that is comparable with that of standard sequences [more...]

Radiology, 09/27/07

Acute bone marrow edema of the hip: role of MR imaging
Karantanas, A.H., et al. - Acute bone marrow edema of the hip is a diagnostic challenge for both radiologists and clinicians. Marrow edema is often seen in patients with hip pain and restriction of motion. In patients with acute non-traumatic hip pain, whose radiographs are negative or inconclusive, MR imaging is the imaging study of choice. MR imaging is the most sensitive and specific imaging technique for detecting transient osteoporosis and osteonecrosis, as well as for detecting and staging fractures and microfractures [more...]

European Radiology, 09/27/07

Ultrasound imaging of non-traumatic lesions of wrist and hand tendons
Jacob, D., et al. - Non-traumatic tendon lesions are common and diverse at the wrist and hand. Improvements in high-resolution ultrasound (US) are producing increasingly high-quality images of superficial structures, thus expanding the indications for this imaging modality as a tool for investigating musculoskeletal disorders. The objective of this work is to provide an update on the uses and performance of US in non-traumatic tendon disorders of the wrist and hand [more...]

European Radiology, 09/27/07

Absolute and relative contributions of BOLD effects to the muscle functional MRI signal intensity time course: Effect of exercise intensity
Damon, B.M., et al. - The time course of exercise-induced T2-weighted signal intensity (SI) changes contains an initial rise, early dip, and secondary rise. The purposes of this study were to test the hypothesis that the secondary rise occurs earlier during more intense contractions, and to determine the contribution of BOLD contrast to the SI changes. Eight subjects performed 90-s isometric dorsiflexion contractions at 30% and 60% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) while T2-weighted (TR/TE = 4000 ms/35 ms) images were acquired and total hemoglobin ([THb]) and oxy-Hb saturation (%HbO2) were measured [more...]

Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 09/26/07

Bone Scintigraphy in Acute Intraosseous Disc Herniation
Crawford, B.A., et al. - A 57-year-old woman initially presented with the acute onset of low back pain after gardening. Plain film at that time was reported as showing Scheurmann's disease of the lumbar spine. The pain resolved slowly, but recurred acutely after minimal trauma 5 months later. Bone scintigraphy revealed increased uptake in L4 and L5 around the disc space, thought to be suspicious for discitis. Other blood tests revealed a high alkaline phosphatase level with an elevated bone component [more...]

Clinical Nuclear Medicine , 09/26/07

The mode of destruction in shoulders with rheumatoid arthritis based on radiographic findings
Tanaka, H., et al. - The objective of the present study was to elucidate the mode of rheumatoid arthritis shoulder destruction. The study included 402 shoulders from 201 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Plain radiographic findings were used to assess and statistically analyze the severity of the glenohumeral joint destruction (GHD) and greater tuberosity destruction (GTD). For both GHD and GTD scores, a statistically significant correlation was found between the left and right sides and also between the GHD and GTD scores within the same shoulder [more...]

Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 09/26/07

Model-Based Erosion Spotting and Visualization in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Langs, G., et al. - A method for the automatic detection and the visualization of erosions caused by rheumatoid arthritis is investigated. Erosion-enhanced viewing is a contribution to the computer-aided diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis...Conclusion: The automatic spotting of erosions provides promising results, and the visualization of the deviation from healthy anatomy aids clinicians in the evaluation of the erosions and in the reviewing of automatic detection results [more...]

Academic Radiology, 09/25/07

3D Shape Analysis of the Supraspinatus Muscle: A Clinical Study of the Relationship Between Shape and Pathology
Ward, A.D., et al. - Conclusion: From the results, we draw the conclusion that 3D shape analysis may be helpful in the diagnosis of rotator cuff disorders, but further investigation is required to develop a 3D shape descriptor that yields ideal pathology group separation. The results of this study suggest several promising avenues of future research to meet this goal [more...]

Academic Radiology, 09/25/07

Apparently isolated partial articular fractures of the radial head: Prevalence and reliability of radiographically diagnosed displacement
Doornberg, J., et al. - The purpose of this study was to measure the prevalence and reliability of the radiographic diagnosis of displacement of apparently isolated partial articular radial head fractures and use these factors to assess treatment considerations. Among 119 radiographically visible partial fractures of the radial head not associated with other wrist, forearm, or elbow injury, 101 were classified as Mason type 1 (85%), 11 as borderline between Mason type 1 and Mason type 2 fractures (9%), and 7 as Mason type 2 fractures (6%) according to Broberg and Morrey?s modification of the Mason classification [more...]

Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 09/25/07

Radiosynoviorthesis of medium-sized joints with rhenium-186-sulphide colloid: a review of the literature
Klett, R., et al. - Hypertrophy and inflammation of the synovium with various underlying pathologies?such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, haemophilia and spondyloarthropathy?can be treated successfully by radiosynoviorthesis (RSO). For medium-sized joints (shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip and ankle), the radionuclide of choice is rhenium-186. We review the evidence for the efficacy of this local, relatively non-invasive therapy and evaluate its benefits and risks. We conclude good evidence of rhenium-186 RSO in rheumatoid arthritis and haemophilic arthropathy [more...]

Rheumatology, 09/25/07

The Value of Power Doppler Ultrasonography in Achilles Tendinopathy
de Vos, R.J., et al. - Conclusion: Sixty-three percent of the symptomatic tendons were found to have neovessels at baseline. There was no significant correlation between neovascularization score and clinical severity at baseline, but at follow-up, there was a significant correlation. Neovascularization at baseline did not predict clinical outcome after conservative treatment [more...]

American Journal of Sports Medicine, 09/25/07

Rim-Rent Tear of the Rotator Cuff: A Common and Easily Overlooked Partial Tear
Vinson, E.N., et al. -Conclusion: Rim-rent tears are a common type of partial-thickness rotator cuff tear, much more commonly present than has been previously reported. In particular, infraspinatus rim-rent tears are more common than previously believed. Rim-rent tears of the infraspinatus tendon and those involving the anterior-most fibers of the supraspinatus tendon are commonly overlooked on MRI, possibly because of failure to appreciate the high incidence of these types of tears and failure to inspect the anterior-most fibers of the rotator cuff [more...]

American Journal of Roentgenology, 09/24/

Quantitative Analysis of Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI Datasets of the Metacarpophalangeal Joints
Kubassova, O.A., et al. - In this article, we propose an alternative approach to voxel-by-voxel analysis, which overcomes problems associated with heuristic methods currently used for dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) data assessment...Conclusion: Our preliminary results demonstrate the potential of the proposed method for providing objective quantitative and qualitative assessment of DCE-MRI in the metacarpophalangeal joints. Further evaluation within a clinical setting is needed to examine the method?s diagnostic utility [more...]

Academic Radiology, 09/24/07

Segmentation of the Bones in MRIs of the Knee Using Phase, Magnitude, and Shape Information
Fripp, J., et al. - The segmentation of textured anatomy from magnetic resonance images (MRI) is a difficult problem. We present an approach that uses features extracted from the magnitude and phase of the MRI signal to segment the bones in the knee...Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that the incorporation of phase and multiple echoes improve the results obtained by the classifier. Moreover, we show that 3D ASMs provide a robust and accurate way of using the classifier to obtain anatomically valid segmentation results [more...]

Academic Radiology, 09/24/07

A modular, flexible training strategy to achieve competence in diagnostic and interventional musculoskeletal ultrasound in patients with hip osteoarthritis
Atchia, I., et al. - This study sought to establish a model of training and an assessment of competency in musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) diagnosis of hip synovitis and/or effusion and in MSUS-guided injection of the hip...Conclusions: Using a modular approach, a learner-centred curriculum and a self-directed learning strategy with a minimum of direct supervision, a trainee achieved competence in MSUS diagnosis of hip effusion/synovitis and in MSUS-guided hip aspiration/injection [more...]

Rheumatology, 09/24/07

Ultrasonographic examination of the synovial fold of the radiohumeral joint
Koh, S., et al. - This report describes the anatomy of the synovial fold of the radiohumeral joint and assesses its visibility by ultrasonography. Forty-nine fresh cadaver radiohumeral joints were examined by ultrasonography before and after intraarticular saline injection and then dissected. Digital photos were taken before and after the joint capsule was excised. The relative coverage of the radial head by the fold was calculated. Synovial folds were observed in all specimens [more...]

Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 09/24/07

Further evaluation of the Walter Reed Visual Assessment Scale: correlation with curve pattern and radiological deformity
Bago, J., et al. - The Walter Reed Visual Assessment Scale (WRVAS) was designed to measure physical deformity as perceived by patients with idiopathic scoliosis...Conclusions: The profile of the individual WRVAS scores does not differentiate among specific curve patterns (thoracic, double major and thoracolumbar/lumbar). Moreover, some of the drawings (items 3, 5 and 6) do not correlate with the radiological deformity they were designed to measure [more...]

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 09/24/07

Age- and gender-related distribution of bone tissue of osteoporotic humeral head using computed tomography
Yamada, M., et al. - Treatment of proximal humeral fractures is very challenging in elderly patients with osteoporosis. Difficulty in obtaining a stable osteosynthesis remains the main problem for the surgeon. Knowing more details about the bone quality of the humeral head can be helpful for treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bone quality of the humeral head based on age, sex, and location [more...]

Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 09/24/07

Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: Prospective functional outcome and repair integrity at minimum 2-year follow-up
Cole, B.J., et al. - The purpose of this study was to assess arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears at a minimum of 2 years postoperatively with both patient-derived and objective outcome measures, including the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to evaluate repair status. Evaluated were 49 shoulders in 47 consecutive patients. The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, Constant and Murley score, Simple Shoulder Test, Rowe score, Visual Analog Pain Scale, and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-12 Mental Component Scale all improved significantly (P < .001) between the preoperative and final follow-up evaluations [more...]

Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 09/24/07

Rim-Rent Tear of the Rotator Cuff: A Common and Easily Overlooked Partial Tear
Vinson, E.N., et al. -Conclusion: Rim-rent tears are a common type of partial-thickness rotator cuff tear, much more commonly present than has been previously reported. In particular, infraspinatus rim-rent tears are more common than previously believed. Rim-rent tears of the infraspinatus tendon and those involving the anterior-most fibers of the supraspinatus tendon are commonly overlooked on MRI, possibly because of failure to appreciate the high incidence of these types of tears and failure to inspect the anterior-most fibers of the rotator cuff [more...]

American Journal of Roentgenology, 09/24/07

MRI for Detection of Abscess in Acute Osteomyelitis of the Pelvis in Children
Connolly, S.A., et al. - Conclusion: Childhood pelvic AHO is relatively uncommon and produces variable signs and symptoms that are often attributed to another process. The results of our study show the ability of MRI to provide additional information that affected patient management in cases of pelvic abscess. We therefore advocate the use of MRI as the imaging technique of choice for any child suspected of having pelvic AHO [more...]

American Journal of Roentgenology, 09/21/07

Sonographically Guided Intratendinous Injection of Hyperosmolar Dextrose to Treat Chronic Tendinosis of the Achilles Tendon: A Pilot Study
Maxwell, N.J., et al. - Chronic tendinosis of the Achilles tendon is a common overuse injury that is difficult to manage. We report on a new injection treatment for this condition...Conclusion: Intratendinous injections of hyperosmolar dextrose yielded a good clinical response?that is, a significant reduction in pain at rest and during tendon-loading activities?in patients with chronic tendinosis of the Achilles tendon [more...]

American Journal of Roentgenology, 09/21/07

Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) with symmetric involvement of both femora: X-ray, bone scintigram, and MR imaging findings in one case
Buck, F.M., et al. - The case of a 17-month-old boy with symmetric involvement of both femora in chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is presented. Imaging showed an extraordinary involvement of both femoral diaphyses and distal metaphyses with extensive lamellar-like periosteal reactions. Diagnosis was based upon laboratory tests, bone scintigraphy, and MRI findings and was proved by open bone biopsy [more...]

Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Wiley), 09/21/07

Accuracy Evaluation of Automatic Quantification of the Articular Cartilage Surface Curvature from MRI
Folkesson, J., et al. - Conclusion: The phantom study showed that the shape model method was more accurate for a coarse-scale analysis, whereas the shortening flow estimated fine scales better. Both the fine- and the coarse-scale curvature estimates distinguished between healthy and OA populations, and the coarse-scale curvature could even distinguish between healthy and borderline OA populations. The highly significant differences between populations demonstrate the potential of cartilage curvature as a disease marker for OA [more...]

Academic Radiology, 09/21/07

Attitudes of United Kingdom rheumatologists to musculoskeletal ultrasound practice and training
Cunnington, J., et al. - This study was performed to describe what clinical rheumatologists currently use musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) for, how they are currently training and is the first study to survey rheumatologists to determine their preferences for MSUS training implementation...Conclusions: The majority of respondents use MSUS in the management of their patients, with a third performing MSUS themselves. The report indicates rheumatologists? preferences on how training should be delivered in the future [more...]

Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, 09/21/07

Cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging in primary care consulters with shoulder pain: a case?control study
Paul, A., et al. - Conclusions: Cervical spine MRI abnormalities were similar in both cases and controls, despite significantly more self-reported neck pain in cases with shoulder pain. Other possible mechanisms, such as muscular strain or postural problems, may explain the observed clinical association between shoulder region pain and neck associated symptoms [more...]

Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, 09/21/07

Arthroscopic treatment of symptomatic type D medial plica
Uysal, M., et al. - We aimed to review the results of subtotal arthroscopic resection of symptomatic type D medial plica. We retrospectively evaluated 23 knees with symptomatic type D medial plica in 22 patients without other intra-articular pathology. All patients complained of chronic knee pain that had not been alleviated by medical treatment or physical therapy. In only three (13%) of the patients studied was the plica diagnosed pre-operatively with magnetic resonance imaging. The type D medial plicae in our series were classified as fenestrated (14 knees), torn (5 knees), or reduplicated (4 knees) [more...]

International Orthopaedics, 09/21/07

Clinico-radiological assessment and their correlation in clubfeet treated with postero-medial soft-tissue release
Prasad, P., et al. - The controversy regarding the radiographic parameter which best represents the various deformities of clubfoot continues. The aim of our study was to clear up this controversy. Fifty surgically treated (soft-tissue release) congenital clubfeet were studied clinically using Laaveg and Ponseti score and radiologically using twelve different radiographic parameters in weight-bearing AP and lateral views [more...]

International Orthopaedics, 09/21/07

Computer-assisted placement technique in hip resurfacing arthroplasty: improvement in accuracy?
Kruger, S., et al. - Freehand positioning of the femoral drill guide is difficult during hip resurfacing and the surgeon is often unsure of the implant position achieved peroperatively. The purpose of this study was to find out whether, by using a navigation system, acetabular and femoral component positioning could be made easier and more precise. Eighteen patients operated on by the same surgeon were matched by sex, age, BMI, diagnosis and ASA score (nine patients with computer assistance, nine with the regular ancillary). Pre-operative planning was done on standard AP and axial radiographs with CT scan views for the computer-assisted operations [more...]

International Orthopaedics, 09/21/07

Quantitative vertebral morphometry using neighbor-conditional shape models
de Bruijne, M., et al. - A novel method for vertebral fracture quantification from X-ray images is presented. Using pairwise conditional shape models trained on a set of healthy spines, the most likely normal vertebra shapes are estimated conditional on the shapes of all other vertebrae in the image. The difference between the true shape and the reconstructed normal shape is subsequently used as a measure of abnormality [more...]

Medical Image Analysis, 09/20/07

Rheumatoid arthritis bone erosion volumes on CT and MRI: reliability and correlations with erosion scores on CT, MRI and radiography
Dohn, U.M., et al. - To investigate intramodality and intermodality agreements of CT and MRI erosion volumes in metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to compare the volumes with erosion scores for CT, MRI and radiography...Conclusion: Very high intramodality and high intermodality agreements of CT and MRI erosion volumes were found, encouraging further testing in longitudinal studies. A close correlation with CT and MRI erosion volumes supports the OMERACT RAMRIS erosion score as a valid measure of joint destruction in RA [more...]

Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, 09/20/07

Changes in the Volume and Length of the Medial Gastrocnemius After Surgical Recession in Children With Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy
Fry, N.R., et al. - Morphology is an important determinant of muscle force and power generation. Children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (SDCP) have reduced muscular strength, which in part is caused by inadequate muscle growth...Conclusions: Children with SDCP presented with short and small MG when compared with TD children. Our results indicate that gastrocnemius muscle volume recovers within a year of VP surgery [more...]

Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics , 09/20/07

Whole body bone scintigraphy in osseous hydatosis: a case report
Ebrahimi, A., et al. - Hydatid disease is common in many parts of the world, and causes considerable health and economic loss. This disease may develop in almost any part of the body. Bone involvement is often asymptomatic, and its diagnosis is primarily based on radiographic findings. A whole body bone scan is able to show the extent and distribution of lesions [more...]

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 09/20/07

Endoscopic Achilles tenodesis: a surgical alternative for chronic insertional tendinopathy
Maquirriain, J., et al. - This report describes an endoscopic approach for visualization and repair of heel structures potentially involved in patients presenting chronic calcaneal tendon insertion pain. Tendon-bone junction separation allows enthesis debridement. Tenodesis with a knotless absorbable anchor completes this minimally invasive surgical procedure for chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy [more...]

Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 09/20/07

Early changes in serum type ii collagen biomarkers predict radiographic progression at one year in inflammatory arthritis patients after biologic therapy
Mullan, R.H., et al. - Conclusion: Short-term changes in serum levels of collagen biomarkers following initiation of biologic therapy may better predict long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes. These collagen biomarkers may therefore be valuable new early indicators of short-term biologic treatment efficacy in clinical trials and in individual patients with inflammatory erosive arthritis [more...]

Arthritis & Rheumatism, 09/19/07

Automatic segmentation of cortical and trabecular compartments based on a dual threshold technique for in vivo micro-CT bone analysis
Buie, H.R., et al. - The use of high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) and in vivo micro-CT for studies of bone disease and treatment has become increasingly common, and with these methods comes large quantities of data requiring analysis. A simple, robust, and fully-automated segmentation algorithm is presented that efficiently segments bone regions. The dual threshold technique refers to two required threshold inputs that are used to extract the periosteal and endosteal surfaces of the cortex. [more...]

Bone , 09/19/07

Calcium supplementation and weight bearing physical activity?Do they have a combined effect on the bone density of pre-pubertal children?
Ward, K.A., et al. - The adaptation of bone to exercise has been shown to be modified by dietary calcium intake. The aim of this randomised controlled trial was to investigate whether there was a differential response to calcium supplementation in elite gymnasts and school children controls. The primary hypothesis was that gymnasts who took calcium supplements would have greater increases in cortical and trabecular volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) at the radius and tibia [more...]

Bone , 09/19/07

Radiographic Evidence to Help Predict the Mechanism of Injury of Pediatric Spiral Fractures in Nonaccidental Injury
O'Connor-Read, L., et al. - Conclusions: The direction of the torsional force producing spiral fractures can be determined from characteristic features on routine anterior-posterior and lateral radiographs. Determining the direction of the torsional force on radiographs does not always seem to be intuitive [more...]

Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics , 09/19/07

Implementation and validation of localized constant-time correlated spectroscopy (LCT-COSY) on a clinical 3T MRI scanner for investigation of muscle metabolism
Velan, S.S., et al. - Conclusion: Simulations and experimental results in vitro and in vivo demonstrate the strengths of LCT-COSY. This technique can be implemented on systems of any field strength, and has the potential to separate overlapping metabolites in tissue when employed on high-field clinical MRI scanners equipped for proton spectroscopy [more...]

Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Wiley), 09/19/07

Charcot spine
Staloch, M.A., et al. - Identification of a destructive spinal process in the acute setting most commonly is related to infection or neoplasm. In the appropriate clinical setting, Charcot spine, also known as neuropathic spinal arthropathy or spinal neuroarthropathy, should be considered. We present a case of spinal destruction due to spinal neuroarthropathy in a 51-year-old man who had been paraplegic for 13 years, and review the characteristic and potentially differentiating imaging findings of this uncommon process [more...]

Emergency Radiology, 09/18/07

The limping infant: imaging and clinical evaluation of trauma
Swischuk, L.E., et al. - Limping, due to trauma, is common in all age groups, but this dissertation deals with limping in infants to about 3 years of age. The reason for this age cut-off is that, often, it is difficult to obtain an accurate history from these patients, and thus, imaging becomes of paramount importance. This being said, it is important that the individual evaluating the images knows what to look for and what it looks like [more...]

Emergency Radiology, 09/18/07

Adapted versions of the Sharp/van der Heijde score are reliable and valid for assessment of radiographic progression in juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Ravelli, A., et al. - To develop adapted versions of the Sharp/van der Heijde radiographic scoring system for use in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and to investigate their validity in JIA patients with polyarticular disease...Conclusion: Our results show that the adapted versions of the Sharp/van der Heijde score are reliable and valid for the assessment of radiographic progression in patients with JIA [more...]

Arthritis & Rheumatism, 09/18/07

Acute calcific periarthritis of the hand and wrist: a series and review of the literature
Doumas, C., et al. - This article presents three patients with acute calcific periarthritis (ACP) of the hand and wrist. ACP is an unusual, painful, monoarticular, periarticular inflammatory process associated with juxtaarticular deposits of amorphous calcium hydroxyapatite. ACP is a distinct clinical subset of hydroxyapatite deposition disease [more...]

Emergency Radiology, 09/18/07

Imaging of Synovial Chondromatosis with Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation
Murphey, M.D., et al. - Primary synovial chondromatosis represents an uncommon benign neoplastic process with hyaline cartilage nodules in the subsynovial tissue of a joint, tendon sheath, or bursa. The nodules may enlarge and detach from the synovium. The knee, followed by the hip, in male adults are the most commonly involved sites and patient population. The pathologic appearance may simulate chondrosarcoma because of significant histologic atypia, and radiologic correlation to localize the process as synovially based is vital for correct diagnosis [more...]

Radiographics, 09/17/07

Long-term results of radiotherapy for periarthritis of the shoulder: a retrospective evaluation
Niewald, M., et al. - To evaluate retrospectively the results of radiotherapy for periarthritis of the shoulder...Conclusions: Low-dose radiotherapy for periarthropathy of the shoulder was highly effective and yielded long-lasting improvement of pain and motility without side effects [more...]

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 09/17/07

Little Leaguer?s shoulder (proximal humeral epiphysiolysis): MRI findings in four boys
Obembe, O.O., et al. - Conclusion: Focal extension of normal physeal T1-weighted and gradient echo signal intensity into the adjacent metaphysis is a sign of stress injury in the proximal humeral physis (Little Leaguer?s shoulder). Children should suspend the offending sport to allow healing [more...]

Pediatric Radiology, 09/17/07

Levels of biomarkers correlate with magnetic resonance imaging progression of knee cartilage degeneration: a study on canine
Qi, C., et al. - To examine the association between levers of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), matrix metalloproteinases-1 (MMP-1), matrix metalloproteinases-3 (MMP-3), tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) in serum and synovial fluid, and MR imaging of cartilage degeneration in knee joint, and to understand the effects of movement training with different intensity on cartilage of knee joint [more...]

Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 09/17/07

Traumatic knee extension deficit (the locked knee): can MRI reduce the need for arthroscopy?
Helmark, I., et al. - In the present study we investigated the validity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and arthroscopy in knees with acute, traumatic extension deficit (the ?locked knee?), and evaluated whether arthroscopy of knees with no mechanical pathology could be avoided by MRI evaluation. The study consisted of 50 patients who had an acute, traumatic extension deficit of the knee. All patients were submitted to MRI prior to arthroscopy [more...]

Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 09/17/07

Diagnostic Accuracy of MR Imaging in Tuberculous Spondylitis
Danchaivijitr, N., et al. - Conclusion: The authors presented three good to excellent sensitivity and specificity MR imaging features for spinal tuberculosis, end plate disruption, paravertebral soft tissue formation, and high signal of intervertebral disc on T2W. In contrast to a previous study, most of the presented cases still presented with classic radiological pictures of "two vertebral disease with the destruction of the intervertebral disc". Only a small portion of the patients revealed sparing intervening disc or isolated single vertebral body involvement, which possibly reflected the early stages of the disease process [more...]

Journal of The Medical Association of Thailand, 09/14/07 Free Full Text   

Observer reliability in evaluating pedicle screw placement using computed tomography
Kosmopoulos, V., et al. - Pedicle screw insertion in spinal surgery is a demanding technique with potential risks to neurological structures, for example, within the spinal canal. Assessing screw placement in clinical practice has been performed using plain radiographs and/or mainly axial computed tomography (CT) images. Screw placement using CT image reconstructions in multiple planes has been described, but its reliability has yet to be studied [more...]

International Orthopaedics, 09/14/07

Assessment of abnormal blood flow and efficacy of treatment in patients with systemic sclerosis using a newly developed microwireless laser Doppler flowmeter and arm-raising test
Kido, M., et al. - Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) frequently suffer from recalcitrant digital ulceration because of impaired cutaneous blood flow (CBF)...Conclusions: CBF assessment using MILBF and an arm-raising test is accurate, noninvasive and well tolerated and thus the combination may be a better alternative method to evaluate abnormal CBF and efficacy of treatment in patients with SSc [more...]

British Journal of Dermatology, 09/14/07

Imaging strategies in intramuscular haemangiomas: an analysis of 20 cases
Wu, J.L., et al. - The purpose of this study was to review the correlation between the imaging studies and the histological findings in the diagnosis of this disease. We retrospectively reviewed 21 lesions in 20 patients (median age, 23.7 years old) who had been diagnosed with cavernous haemangiomas (n=11), capillary (n=6), and mixed (n=3) types. The imaging studies were obtained with plain film radiography (n=20), Tc-99 m bone scans (n=5), angiography (n=7) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; n=20) [more...]

International Orthopaedics, 09/14/07

Quantitative computer-assisted osteodensitometry in total hip arthroplasty
Pitto, R., et al. - Several factors can cause bone loss and fixation failure following total hip arthroplasty (THA), including polyethylene wear debris, implant micromotion and stress shielding. Various techniques have been used in an effort to detect bone density loss in vivo, all with varying success. Quantitative computed tomography (qCT)-assisted osteodensitometry has been shown to be useful in assessing the in vivo structural bone changes after THA [more...]

International Orthopaedics, 09/14/07

Computer-Generated Index for Evaluation of Idiopathic Scoliosis in Digital Chest Images: A Comparison with Digital Measurement
Tang, F.H., et al. - An intelligence system was used to generate index for scoliosis. Tests were designed to evaluate the consistency of the automatic computer-generated index and to quantify the correlation between Cobb angle and computer generated scoliosis classification index (SCI). A fully automatic computer-generated index can be used to assess the extent of spinal curvature rather than manual measurement on radiographs [more...]

Journal of Digital Imaging, 09/13/07

Reference data for bone speed of sound measurement by quantitative ultrasound in healthy children
Omar, A., et al. - The aim of the study was to establish reference data for tibia and radius bone ultrasonic speed of sound (SOS) measurement in our pediatric population, and to compare the results with original (built-in) reference data...Conclusion: We report the reference data for SOS in healthy Turkish children, which are very similar to that obtained in Israeli children, suggesting a consistency of SOS across ethnicities [more...]

Archives of Osteoporosis, 09/13/07

Comparison of Low-Dose With Standard-Dose Multidetector CT in Cervical Spine Trauma
Mulkensa, T.H., et al. - Conclusion: Low-dose cervical spine MDCT in patients with blunt trauma gives a substantial dose reduction of 61%–71%, compared with standard-dose MDCT, with a small increase in image noise and without difference in subjective image quality evaluation [more...]

American Journal of Neuroradiology, 09/13/07

Magnetic resonance imaging features of extremity sarcomas of uncertain differentiation
Stacy, G.S., et al. - The purpose of this review is to illustrate the pertinent clinical and imaging features of extremity sarcomas of uncertain differentiation, including synovial sarcoma, epithelioid sarcoma, clear-cell sarcoma, and alveolar soft part sarcoma. These tumours should be considered in the differential diagnosis when a soft-tissue mass is encountered in the extremity of an adolescent or young adult [more...]

Clinical Radiology, 09/12/07

Extramedullary Intradural Spinal Tumors: A Pictorial Review
Beall, D.P., et al. - Defining the location of tumors and mass lesions of the spine in relation to the spinal cord and the dura is of the utmost importance as certain types of lesions tend to occur in certain locations. The differential diagnostic considerations will vary according to location of the mass lesion as will the treatment and prognosis of these various lesions [more...]

Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology, 09/12/07

Posterosuperior Osteochondritis of the Calcaneus
Cugat, R., et al. - Osteochondritis of the posterosuperior area of the talocalcaneal surface is a relatively uncommon injury, and only 1 case has been described in the literature. We present a 37-year-old man who complained of pain in the tarsal canal area during walking and when standing up. The magnetic resonance imaging study showed an osteochondral signal in the posterosuperior medial area of the calcaneus on the talocalcaneal surface [more...]

Arthroscopy, 09/12/07

A comparison of reproducibility of measurement techniques for patella position on axial radiographs after total knee arthroplasty
Heesterbeek, P.J.C., et al. - Patella position can be measured on axial radiographs and many measurement techniques have been described in literature. The goal of this study was to evaluate the inter- and intraobserver reproducibility of measurement techniques available in the literature for patients with a knee prosthesis.Fifty axial patella radiographs from knee prostheses were used to measure the reproducibility of five measurement techniques [more...]

The Knee, 09/12/07 Free Full Text   

MR imaging of acute anterior cruciate ligament injuries
Klass, D., et al. - MRI of the knee has become an indispensable clinical tool in the management of chronic knee conditions. MRI for acute knee injuries is less well established but is becoming increasingly prevalent. MRI in acute ACL injuries is particularly useful for identifying associated injuries that will influence the early management of the patient [more...]

The Knee, 09/12/07 Free Full Text   

Clinical-Electromyography Correlation in Infants With Obstetric Brachial Plexopathy
Heise, C.O., et al. - The real utility of needle electromyography (EMG) for evaluation of infants with obstetric brachial plexopathy remains controversial. The objective of this paper is to evaluate how EMG correlates with clinical evaluation of these patients...Conclusions: Needle EMG fails to estimate or overestimates clinical recovery in proximal muscles in this age group [more...]

Journal of Hand Surgery, 09/11/07

Posterior capsular fibrosis in professional baseball pitchers: case series of MR arthrographic findings in six patients with glenohumeral internal rotational deficit
Tehranzadeh, A.D., et al. - In the high-performance athlete, acquired thickening of the posterior joint capsule is a proposed etiology for glenohumeral internal rotational deficit (GIRD). The purpose of this study was to present our MR arthrographic imaging observations of posterior capsular thickening in professional baseball players who present with reduced throwing velocity related to pain and clinical findings of internal rotational deficit of the glenohumeral joint [more...]

Clinical Imaging, 09/11/07

Mechanical Axis Cannot be Restored in Total Knee Arthroplasty With a Fixed Valgus Resection Angle A Radiographic Study
Bardakos, N., et al. - Alignment radiographs of 174 extremities in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty were measured to determine the variability in valgus cut angle (VCA) and the anatomical factors that affect the VCA necessary to restore the mechanical axis. The VCA averaged 5.6° ± 1.0° with a range of 2° to 9°. With the 3different methods of defining the anatomical axis of the femur, 30% to 51% of patients required a VCA of less than 5° or greater than 6° [more...]

Journal of Arthroplasty, 09/11/07

Radiostereometric Analysis Comparison of Wear of Highly Cross-Linked Polyethylene Against 36- vs 28-mm Femoral Heads
Bragdon, C.R., et al. - This study used radiostereometric analysis (RSA) to compare the femoral head penetration of 28- vs 36-mm-diameter femoral heads into highly cross-linked polyethylene in 2 groups of total hip arthroplasty patients. Thirty patients were enrolled in this RSA study using highly cross-linked polyethylene (Longevity, Zimmer Inc, Warsaw, Idaho) against either 28- or 36-mm-diameter cobalt chrome femoral heads [more...]

Journal of Arthroplasty, 09/11/07

Ultrasound in the diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip in newborns. The European approach. A review of methods, accuracy and clinical validity
Rosendahl, K., et al. - Based on soft evidence that ultrasound screening tends to reduce the rate of late developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and the need for surgical interventions, different screening strategies including universal or selective ultrasound screening have been established in several European countries and centres during the last decade. We performed an extensive search for articles on ultrasound diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip over the last 26 years [more...]

European Radiology, 09/10/07

Compartment syndrome in the hand due to extravasation of contrast material
Selek, H., et al. - Extravasation of contrast material is a well-recognized complication of contrast-enhanced imaging studies. Most extravasations result only in minimal swelling or erythema; however, severe skin necrosis, ulceration and compartment syndrome may occur with extravasation of large volumes. This article presents a patient in whom extravasation developed after computed tomography (CT) contrast material was injected intravenously in the dorsum of the hand [more...]

Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, 09/10/07

Mechanical torque measurement predicts load to implant cut-out: a biomechanical study investigating DHS anchorage in femoral heads
Suhm, N., et al. - Bone strength plays an important role in implant anchorage. Bone mineral density (BMD) is used as surrogate parameter to quantify bone strength and to predict implant anchorage. BMD can be measured by means of quantitative computer tomography (QCT) or dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). These noninvasive methods for BMD measurement are not available pre- or intra-operatively [more...]

Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, 09/10/07

Remodeling of the spine in spondylodiscitis of children at the age of 3 years or younger
Waizy, H., et al. - Spondylitis/spondylodiscitis is still an uncommon diagnosis often with a delay in diagnosis and treatment due to the uncharacteristic symptoms. The aim of this study is to increase the awareness and outline a patter of investigation and treatment. We present six children with an average age of 23 months (19-33 months) at time of diagnosis, conservative treated and with a mean follow-up of 31 months (12-65 months) [more...]

Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, 09/10/07

Traumatic vertebral artery dissection in an adult with brachial plexus injury and cervical spinal fractures
Motsitsi, S.N.S., et al. - We present a case of a 32 year-old right-hand dominant lady who sustained right brachial plexus injury, ipsilateral fractures of the cervical spine transverse processes, and vertebral artery dissection. She presented to us four days following the accident. Magnetic Resonance Imaging showed normal brachial plexus and vertebral artery dissection with intramural thrombus and vascular lumen occlusion [more...]

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 09/10/07

Magnetic resonance imaging of the knee in Norway 2002-2004 (national survey): rapid increase, older patients, large geographic differences
Espeland, A., et al. - This study aimed to describe levels and trends in ambulant knee MRI utilisation in Norway 2002–2004 in relation to type of radiology service, geographic regions, number of MRI-scanners, patient age and gender, and type of referring health care provider...Conclusion: Ambulant knee MRI utilisation in Norway increases rapidly especially for patients over 50, and shows large geographic differences. Evaluation of clinical outcomes of this activity is needed together with clinical guidelines for use of knee MRI [more...]

BMC Health Services Research, 09/10/07

Osteo-arthritis of the os trigonum?calcaneal joint
Wansbrough, G.G., et al. - Os trigonum is an incidental radiographic finding at the posterior aspect of the talus in around 10% of the population. A small proportion are symptomatic as part of Posterior Ankle Impingement (os trigonum syndrome), in which several structural and inflammatory changes may be demonstrated on MRI.We report a case of an os trigonum–calcaneal joint associated with dysplastic talus in a patient without primary posterior ankle impingement syndrome [more...]

The Foot, 09/10/07

The use of surgical core decompression as treatment for avascular necrosis of the second and third metatarsal heads
Dolce, M., et al. - Freiberg's disease, a type of avascular necrosis, is an idiopathic osteochondrosis disorder affecting epiphyses of developing bones in children, particularly the second metatarsal with respect to the foot. This disorder can be caused by acute trauma and has been documented that exacerbation of it is present in patients with an elongated second metatarsal, thus, making it more vulnerable to repetitive trauma. Here we present a patient with a chief complaint of a painful mass [more...]

The Foot, 09/10/07

Hand vascular involvement assessed by magnetic resonance angiography in systemic sclerosis
Allanore, Y., et al. - Impairment of the microcirculation is a cardinal feature of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has improved the assessment of vascular lesions of the hand. The aim of this study was to evaluate vascular abnormalities in the hands of patients with SSc, using MRA...Conclusion: These results show the substantial vascular involvement in SSc. Lesions were diffuse and involved both arterial and venous vessels of small caliber as well as the microcirculation [more...]

Arthritis & Rheumatism, 09/10/07

Percutaneous vertebroplasty in tumoral osteolysis
Jakobs, T., et al. - Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive, radiologically guided procedure in which bone cement is injected into structurally weakened or destructed vertebrae in order to achieve additional biomechanical stability. In addition to treating osteoporotic vertebral fractures, this technique gains popularity to relieve pain by stabilizing vertebrae compromised by, for example, metastases, aggressive hemangiomas or multiple myeloma that are at risk of pathologic fracture [more...]

European Radiology, 09/07/07

High-resolution MRI of the wrist and finger joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: comparison of 1.5 Tesla and 3.0 Tesla
Wieners, G., et al. - The goal of this study was to compare magnetic resonance (MR) image quality at different field strengths for evaluating lesions in wrist and finger joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in order to determine whether the higher field strength provides diagnostic gain. [more...]

European Radiology, 09/07/07

Physiologic and pathologic calcifications and ossifications in the face and neck
Keberle, M., et al. - The aim was to give a systematic presentation of physiologic and pathologic calcifications and ossifications in the face and neck with a special emphasis on clinical relevance. In a sometimes subacute setting one should recognize specific calcifications which often lead to important diagnoses such as fungal sinusitis or sclerosing labyrinthitis. In a more chronic situation intraocular calcifications in small children are pathognomonic for retinoblastoma [more...]

European Radiology, 09/07/07

Accuracy of MRI diagnosis of internal derangement of the knee in a non-specialized tertiary level referral teaching hospital
Challen., et al. - This study was designed to assess the accuracy of knee MRI examinations carried out in a general tertiary referral hospital without a musculoskeletal fellowship trained radiologist. The study included all patients who had undergone a knee arthroscopy carried out within a 2-year period and who had had a prior MRI knee examination, where both were carried out at this institution [more...]

Australasian Radiology, 09/07/07

Prognostic Reliability of the Hawkins Sign in Fractures of the Talus
Tezval, M., et al. - To determine the prognostic reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of the Hawkins sign. The Hawkins sign is a subchondral radiolucent band in the talar dome that is indicative of viability at 6 to 8 weeks after a talus fracture...Conclusion: The Hawkins sign is a good indicator of talus vascularity following fracture. If a full or partial positive Hawkins sign is detected, it is unlikely that AVN will develop at a later stage after injury [more...]

Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, 09/06/07

Pedicle Screw Fixation of the Cervical Spine: Guidance by Computed Tomography
Su, P., et al. - This is an anatomic, preclinical study using computed tomography and computerized simulation to describe the morphologic features and ideal screw insertion trajectories for cervical pedicles in the southern Chinese population. The morphologic features of the pedicle of vertebrae (C3-C7) from 20 human cadaver spines were evaluated with computed tomography and with manual measurements. There was no difference between the two data sets [more...]

Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research, 09/06/07

Assessment of injury to the thoracolumbar posterior ligamentous complex in the setting of normal-appearing plain radiography
Lee, J.Y., et al. - Conclusions: In a setting of normal-appearing plain radiographs, PLC injury as displayed on T1-weighted MRI and diastasis of the facet joints on CT scan seem to be the most popular determinants of probable PLC injury among members of the Spine Trauma Study Group. Between MRI and CT scan, most members feel that various characteristics on MRI studies were more helpful [more...]

The Spine Journal, 09/06/07

Imaging of pseudoneoplastic masses associated with allografts
Kattapuram, T., et al. - The objective of this study is to describe the imaging features of non-neoplastic masses suspected of being tumor recurrences adjacent to allografts. The allografts were utilized for the treatment of various musculoskeletal tumors.We reviewed the medical records and imaging studies of 56 patients who were suspected of having recurrent tumors following surgical resection and allograft replacement treatment for a variety of musculoskeletal neoplasms. The imaging modalities included radiographs, CT, and MRI [more...]

Skeletal Radiology, 09/05/07

Lymphoscintigraphic Findings in Chylous Reflux in a Lower Extremity
Berenji, G., et al. - Lymphoscintigraphy is a useful and safe tool for the diagnostic evaluation of a swollen extremity. Unilateral leg swelling with cutaneous chylous vesicles is a common manifestation of chylous reflux. The authors present a case of chylous reflux in an 11-year-old boy who presented with swelling and skin lesions of the left lower extremity [more...]

Clinical Nuclear Medicine , 09/05/07

Meniscofemoral ligaments: patterns of tears and pseudotears of the menisci using cadaveric and clinical material
Abreu, M., et al. - The purpose of the study was to determine the different types of pseudotears of the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus caused by the nearby meniscofemoral ligaments (MFLs), and to correlate the presence of these ligaments with patterns of meniscal tear. Retrospective clinical study with patients and prospective observatory study with cadaveric material [more...]

Skeletal Radiology, 09/05/07

A single fracture in the atlas ring: report of two cases and a review of the literature
Inaoka, T., et al. - Atlas fractures commonly present more than two breaks in its ring structure because of the unique anatomy and the mechanism of injury. The incidence of a single break in the atlas ring is exceedingly rare. However, we encountered two cases of a single fracture of the atlas. One patient was struck by a falling tree on the right side of the head and the other was involved in a motor vehicle accident [more...]

Emergency Radiology, 09/05/07

Ultrasonographic Measurement of Tophi as an Outcome Measure for Chronic Gout
Perez-ruiz, F., et al. - To validate the usefulness of measuring tophi with ultrasonography (US) as an outcome measure for chronic tophaceous gout...Conclusion. US measurement of tophi fulfilled the Omeract filter for an outcome measure, although it should be tested further in randomized clinical trials [more...]

Journal of Rheumatology, 09/04/07

Radiological Findings of Primary Retroperitoneal Ewing Sarcoma
Ulusan, S., et al. - Ewing sarcomas are most commonly located in bone, while extraskeletal involvement of the retroperitoneum is extremely rare. We describe the radiologic and pathological findings in an adult patient with retroperitoneal extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma [more...]

Acta Radiologica, 09/04/07

MR imaging of erosions in interphalangeal joint osteoarthritis: is all osteoarthritis erosive?
Grainger, A., et al. - Erosive osteoarthritis is usually considered as an inflammatory subset of osteoarthritis (OA). However, an inflammatory component is now recognised in all subsets of OA, so this subgroup of erosive or inflammatory OA is more difficult to conceptualise. The aim of this study was to compare routine CR and MRI to investigate erosion numbers and morphology to determine whether hand OA in general is a more erosive disease than previously recognised [more...]

Skeletal Radiology, 09/04/07

The prevalence of lumbar facet joint edema in patients with low back pain
Friedrich, K., et al. - The objective was to assess the prevalence of lumbar facet joint edema in patients with low back pain.Lumbar spine MR examinations (1.5 T) of 145 consecutive patients (87 women, 58 men; mean age 52.8, range 17-94 years) were retrospectively evaluated with regard to the presence of facet joint edema. The MR protocol included sagittal short-tau inversion recovery (STIR), T1- and T2-weighted as well as transverse T2-weighted images [more...]

Skeletal Radiology, 09/04/07

Drummer's Fracture of the Third Metatarsal Bone
Cusi, M., et al. - A 14-year-old girl presented with a painful right foot. She was an elite water-polo player and could recall no history of specific trauma to the foot. On close and persistent questioning, she admitted to having taken up playing the drums recently, with practice sessions of up to 4 h/d. She used the foot drum with her right foot and had noticed that this was becoming increasingly painful and prevented her playing the instrument for the last 2 days [more...]

Clinical Nuclear Medicine , 09/04/07

Intercostal Muscle Contraction or Rib Bone Marrow Activity?: Look for Ancillary Clues
Basu, S., et al. - Diffuse and uniform FDG uptake in the ribs and the intercostal muscles might appear similar on FDG-PET images and a reliable differentiation between the two is important for accurately identifying the underlying process. The former usually suggests excessive contraction of intercostal muscles mostly due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, whereas the latter signifies either bone marrow stimulation or involvement by a pathologic process. At times, images may appear confusing and may be misinterpreted [more...]

Clinical Nuclear Medicine , 09/04/07