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Objective To explore a novel ultrasound-guided injection technique of releasing extra-articular anterior hip adhesions in arthroscopically treated femoroacetabular impingement patients. Materials and methods IRB-approved pilot study included 24 consecutive patients referred for ultrasound-guided injection (Jan 1, 2017–Mar 31, 2018) with anterior hip pain and/or limited hip flexion following arthroscopic treatment for femoroacetabular impingement. They underwent ultrasound-guided pressure injection, releasing post-operative extra-articular adhesions between the joint capsule and flexor tendons along the arthroscopic portal followed by steroid instillation. A visual analogue pain score of 0–10 and standard Hip Outcome Score was used to record treatment response pre-injection, at 6 weeks and at 6 months following injection. Results Nine out of 11 patients (complete data group) who answered all questionnaires showed response to injection with improvement in Hip Outcome Scores at 6 weeks and 6 months. Three out of 10 patients (incomplete data group) showed significant response to injection from clinical follow-up records. No records were available in 3 patients. In total, 12 (57.14%) out of 21 patients showed response to injection. No post-procedure complications. Conclusion Ultrasound-guided pressure injection is a novel, safe, and effective procedure providing pain relief and improved hip movement as evaluated in our small sample study. The limitations of this pilot project include small sample size, lack of control group, short 6-month follow-up, and single institution study. This minimally invasive technique could be a cost-effective alternative to surgical adhesiolysis and can potentially be extended for extra-articular adhesions at other peripheral joints, amenable to ultrasound.

High-resolution ultrasound serves as a fast, accessible, reliable, and radiation-free tool for anatomical and dynamic evaluation of various peripheral nerves. It can be used not only to identify and diagnose peripheral nerve and perineural pathology accurately but also to guide various nerve and perineural interventions. We describe the normal and pathologic appearances of peripheral nerves, the pathologies commonly affecting the individual peripheral nerves, and the current ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve interventions and techniques. Future directions are also highlighted.

This study aims to prospectively evaluate the ultrasound appearance of the normal Lisfranc’s ligament in 50 patients (100 ft) with no prior or current ligament injury. Fifty normal asymptomatic patients between the ages of 18 and 80 years were assessed. Three key features were recorded: ultrasound appearance, thickness, and length of the Lisfranc’s ligament. Patients excluded from this study included pediatric patients and those with history of injury or symptoms related to the foot. The mean right- and left-sided ligament (RT) thickness were 0.096 (0.021) and 0.104 (0.023), respectively. The mean right- and left-sided ligament RT length was 0.54 (0.11) and 0.57 (0.11), respectively. The appearance of the ligament was similar in all patients with a central thin band of hypoechogenicity lined by hyperechoic lines on either side. Understanding the normal appearance, thickness, and length of the Lisfranc’s ligament in a large sample is imperative to diagnose abnormal appearances of this ligament including sprains and tears by ultrasound. Ultrasound, with its easy accessibility, can be used in the emergency department to rapidly exclude injury of the ligament. Increased understanding and awareness of the Lisfranc’s ligament on ultrasound can allow for more accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose To determine the feasibility and accuracy of ultrasound (US) -guided gadolinium injection for MR arthrography of shoulders, wrists, hips, and knee joints as an alternate technique to fluoroscopy. Methods One hundred patients referred to our center for an MR arthrogram of shoulders, wrists, hips, and knees were included in the study. There were 53 males and 47 females and ages ranged from 17 to 63 years (mean age, 37). US was used to guide the needle tip into the joint. The intra-articular location of the needle tip was confirmed by fluoroscopic visualization of injected iodinated contrast medium, prior to gadolinium injection. The patients then proceeded for the MRI examination. Results Ninety-nine of the 100 patients were successfully injected with gadolinium under US guidance. One patient had a vasovagal reaction after local anesthetic injection and the procedure was aborted. Conclusion US is an effective alternate guidance technique for the injection of gadolinium into shoulder, hip, knee, and wrist joints for MR arthrography. Its advantages are cost effectiveness, ease of performance, and lack of radiation. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 2011

Patellofemoral syndrome (PFS) is a common etiology of anterior knee pain, particularly among young female athletes. Despite recent advancements in the resolution of MRI, there still remains a paucity of literature that has investigated the MRI findings associated with PFS. This pictorial essay will describe our institution's experience with cases of PFS and review what we believe to be a constellation of findings associated with this diagnostic entity. This review will also describe common pitfalls encountered during the diagnosis of PFS.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the efficacy of ultrasound-guided needle lavage in treating calcific tendinitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Two independent assessors searched medical databases and screened studies for eligibility. RESULTS. Eleven articles were included. Heterogeneity among included studies precluded meta-analysis. Results of randomized controlled trials suggested no difference in pain relief between needle lavage and other interventions, but the studies were of low quality. CONCLUSION. Additional high-quality evidence is required to determine the relative efficacy of ultrasound-guided needle lavage in the management of calcific tendinitis of the rotator cuff.

Background Computed tomography (CT) angiography for pulmonary embolism (PE) is the present standard for diagnosing PE. In many teaching hospitals, radiology residents are the first to review the case and to make an initial interpretation of the images. Accurate diagnosis of PE is crucial, especially in the emergency care setting. Purpose To evaluate the discrepancies between resident and staff interpretations of 64-slice CT angiogram for PE. Material and Methods Discrepancies between the preliminary reports by the on-call radiology resident were compared to the final report by the staff radiologist in 215 consecutive cases of 64-slice CT angiogram performed for PE, from May 2005 to March 2008. Results Discrepancies were noted in 25 of the 215 studies (11.6%). These residents’ discrepancies consisted of three false-positive, four false-negative, and 18 equivocal cases. There was a decrease in the discrepancy rate from the second year to the fifth year of training by approximately 60%. Conclusion The rate of discrepancy fell steeply between the second and fifth year of the residents training from 18.5% to 6.9%. Our study suggests that it is reasonable to have on-call radiology residents perform the preliminary interpretations of 64-slice CT for PE studies.

The assessment of fracture healing following intertrochanteric fracture fixation is highly variable with no validated standards. Agreement with respect to fracture healing following surgery is important for optimal patient management. The purpose of this study was to (1) assess reliability of intertrochanteric fracture healing assessment and (2) determine if a novel radiographic scoring system for hip fractures improves agreement between radiologists and orthopedic surgeons. A panel of three radiologists and three orthopedic surgeons assessed fracture healing in 150 cases of intertrochanteric fractures at two separate time points to determine inter-rater and intra-rater agreement. Reviewers, blinded to the time after injury, first subjectively assessed overall healing using frontal and lateral radiographs for each patient at a single time point. Reviewers then scored each fracture using a Radiographic Union Score for Hip (RUSH) form to determine whether this improves agreement regarding hip fracture healing. Inter-rater agreement for the overall subjective impression of fracture healing between reviewer groups was only fair (intraclass coefficient [ICC] = 0.34, 95 % CI: 0.11–0.52. Use of the RUSH score improved overall agreement between groups to substantial (ICC = 0.66, 95 % CI: 0.53–0.75). Across reviewers, healing of the medial cortex and overall RUSH score itself demonstrated high correlations with overall perceptions of healing (r = 0.53 and r = 0.72, respectively). The RUSH score improves agreement of fracture healing assessment between orthopedic surgeons and radiologists, offers a systematic approach to evaluating intertrochanteric hip fracture radiographs, and may ultimately provide prognostic information that could predict healing outcomes in patients with femoral neck fractures.

When assessing joints with various imaging modalities, it is important to focus on the extraarticular soft tissues that may clinically mimic joint pathology. One such extraarticular structure is the bursa. Bursitis can clinically be misdiagnosed as joint-, tendon- or muscle-related pain. Pathological processes are often a result of inflammation that is secondary to excessive local friction, infection, arthritides or direct trauma. It is therefore important to understand the anatomy and pathology of the common bursae in the appendicular skeleton. The purpose of this pictorial essay is to characterize the clinically relevant bursae in the appendicular skeleton using diagrams and corresponding multimodality images, focusing on normal anatomy and common pathological processes that affect them. The aim is to familiarize radiologists with the radiological features of bursitis.

A middle-aged man was being investigated for constipation. Abdominal radiographs incidentally revealed a large, densely calcified, rounded mass within the pelvic cavity. A CT scan was performed followed by surgical excision with a differential diagnosis of calcified hematoma and an enlarged calcified lymph nodal mass. Histopathological investigation revealed a primary mesenteric extraskeletal osteosarcoma. To the best of our knowledge, a primary extraskeletal osteosarcoma arising from the mesentery has not been described previously in the English literature. The radiological features and differential diagnosis are discussed.

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a rare benign proliferative growth of the synovium of obscure aetiology with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations and imaging findings. The purpose of this review is to acquaint the reader with the spectrum of imaging features of PVNS using a variety of imaging techniques.