Complications of rotator cuff surgery—the role of post-operative imaging in patient care

When pain or disability occurs after rotator cuff surgery, post-operative imaging is frequently performed. Post-operative complications and expected post-operative imaging findings in the shoulder are presented, with a focus on MRI, MR arthrography (MRA) and CT arthrography. MR and CT techniques are available to reduce image degradation secondary to surgical distortions of native anatomy and implant-related artefacts and to define complications after rotator cuff surgery. A useful approach to image the shoulder after surgery is the standard radiography, followed by MRI/MRA for patients with low “metal presence” and CT for patients who have a higher metal presence. However, for the assessment of patients who have undergone surgery for rotator cuff injuries, imaging findings should always be correlated with the clinical presentation because post-operative imaging abnormalities do not necessarily correlate with symptoms.The complexity of the anatomy and function of the rotator cuff makes the rotator cuff tendons vulnerable to considerable morbidity, often necessitating surgical intervention. Optimal management of rotator cuff abnormalities depends on a variety of factors, such as the presence and severity of an impingement, the degree of tendon damage and individual functional demands.¹ The goals of rotator cuff surgery are to reduce pain, while simultaneously improving the function. The latter is accomplished by two main types of surgical procedures: (1) subacromial decompression surgery alone, typically with an acromioplasty and/or Mumford procedure (distal clavicular resection); and (2) repair of the rotator cuff tear (open or arthroscopic), which is almost always accompanied by a subacromial decompression.Post-operative imaging is performed when pain or disability occurs after a surgical procedure. Often, however, post-operative imaging is degraded by surgical distortions of the native anatomy and metallic artefacts related to implants. Nevertheless, it is imperative that clinicians have an accurate anatomical delineation of the operative site. It is also important for the radiologist to accurately diagnose complications that might occur after rotator cuff surgery to guide optimal treatment. Mansat et al² examined 40 articles reporting the results of open rotator cuff repairs and determined that the overall mean complication rate was 10.5%.The article addresses complications that occur after rotator cuff surgery and expected post-operative imaging findings, with a focus on MRI, MR arthrography (MRA) and CT arthrography (CTA). Because not all post-operative imaging findings result in disability or pain for the patient, we also emphasize our approach and experience regarding how best to define imaging abnormalities after rotator cuff surgery.     

Should the dose of contrast medium be determined solely on the basis of body weight regardless of the patient’s sex?

Purpose  

The aim of this study was to evaluate prospectively the difference in contrast enhancement of liver parenchyma between male and female subjects when the total amount of contrast material is determined by the total body weight (TBW).     

Serial MRI of olivary hypertrophy: Long-term follow-up of a patient with the “top of the basilar” syndrome

We describe a patient with the top of the basilar syndrome, in whom MRI documented the appearance and regression of olivary hypertrophy.     

Late in-stent restenosis of the abdominal aorta in a patient with Takayasu’s arteritis and related pathology

This report describes an in-stent restenosis of the infrarenal aorta in a patient with Takayasu's arteritis in a nonactive state. A 10-mm-diameter Wallstent had been deployed 42 months previously. The stented restenosed segment was replaced by a surgical graft. Histopathological examination of the excised aortic segment showed a thin layer of fibrocellular neointima and massive organized and calcified thrombus. To our knowledge, this is the first histopathological report of a late in-stent restenosis of the abdominal aorta in Takayasu's arteritis. RID=" ID=" <E5>Correspondence to:</E5> H. Ishibashi-Ueda, M.D.     

The incidence of imaging findings, and the distribution of skeletal lymphoma in a consecutive patient population seen over 5 years

Objective To determine the imaging incidence, distribution, and prognosis of primary and secondary osseous lymphoma from a consective, single-institution patient population seen over a 5-year period.Design and patients Of 1098 newly diagnosed consecutively seen patients with lymphoma between 1996 and 2000, 975 comprised the study group. From the electronic medical records and imaging studies, age, gender, date of diagnosis of lymphoma, bone involvement, location in bone, multifocality in bone, histopathologic type of the lesion and patient survival were recorded. Primary lymphoma of bone was defined as osseous disease with or without regional node involvement and no evidence of systemic disease for 6 months. Secondary osseous lymphoma was considered present when osseous lymphoma was associated with systemic disease or the appearance of systemic disease within 6 months of osseous disease.Results Ninety-eight patients had osseous lymphoma (10%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 8.2, 11.9). Ages ranged from 9 to 92 years (mean 54) and gender 6:4 (M:F). Ten patients (1%) had primary lymphoma of bone. Eighty-eight patients (9%) had secondary lymphoma of bone. The vertebral column was the favored site for secondary osseous lymphoma. At 5 years, there were no deaths in the primary osseous lymphoma group and a 51% mortality rate in the secondary osseous lymphoma group.Conclusions Primary lymphoma of bone remains a rare primary malignancy, favors the appendicular skeleton, and has a significantly better 5-year prognosis than secondary lymphoma of bone.     

Radiographic features of Ewing’s sarcoma of the bones of the hands and feet

The radiographic features of Ewing's sarcoma of the bones of the hands and feet are reviewed utilizing cases obtained from the Mayo Clinic patient files and the consultation files of Drs. D.C. Dahlin and K.K. Unni. This series consists of a total of 43 cases of pathologically proven Ewing's sarcoma involving the small bones of the hands and feet. The classic radiographic features of Ewing's sarcoma in the long bones, including lytic, permeative destruction, aggressive periosteal reaction, cortical violation, and a soft tissue mass, are also seen in the bones of the hands and feet, with similar frequency. These classic features are most commonly present in lesions affecting the short tubular bones. Lesions affecting the tarsal bones more often demonstrate atypical radiographic features. These atypical radiographic appearances may play a role in the reported delay in diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma within the tarsal bones.     

Ossification and pseudoepiphysis formation in the “nonepiphyseal” end of bones of the hands and feet

Metacarpals, metatarsals, and phalanges were studied to assess the developmental morphology of secondary ossification in the nonepiphyseal ends of these bones as well as the formation of the pseudoepiphysis as an epiphyseal ossification variant. Both direct ossification extension from the metaphysis into the epiphysis and pseudoepiphysis formation preceded, and continued to be more mature than, formation and expansion of the classic epiphyseal (secondary) ossification center at the opposite end of each specific bone. Direct metaphyseal to epiphyseal ossification usually started centrally and expanded hemispherically, replacing both physeal and epiphyseal cartilage simultaneously. In contrast, when remnants of physis were retained, while juxtaposed epiphyseal cartilage was replaced, a pseudoepiphysis formed. There were three basic patterns of pseudoepiphysis formation. First, a central osseous bridge extended from the metaphysis across the physis into the epiphysis and subsequently expanded to create a mushroom-like osseous structure. In the second pattern a peripheral osseous bridge formed, creating either an osseous ring or an eccentric bridge between the metaphysis and the epiphysis. In the third pattern, multiple bridging occurred. In each situation the associated remnant physis lacked typical cell columns and was incapable of significantly contributing to the postnatal longitudinal growth of the involved bone. Pseudoepiphyses were well formed by 4–5 years and coalesced with the rest of the bone months of years before skeletal maturation was attained at the opposite epiphyseal end, which ossified in the typical pattern (i.e., formation of a secondary center de novo completely within the cartilaginous epiphysis). This process may also affect the development and appearance of ossification within the longitudinal epiphyseal bracket (delta phalanx).     

Formation and decay of the E1′ center and of its precursor

The E₁′ center has been used for ESR dating of quartz with assuming that the signal intensity increases with natural radiation dose as those of other ESR signals do. However, this simple assumption is not necessarily correct. Formation and decay of the E₁′ center are closely related with its precursor, diamagnetic oxygen vacancies. Gamma ray of large dose (>100 kGy) creates oxygen vacancies giving little dose rate effect, which, therefore, might be useful for dating of granites and high dose dosimetry.     

Gorham–Stout disease: the experience of the Rizzoli Institute and review of the literature

Gorham–Stout disease (also known as “disappearing bone disease”) was first described by Jackson in 1838, but was properly defined by Gorham and Stout in a series of 24 patients in 1954–1955. It is a rare disease of unknown etiology (about 200 cases reported in the literature) characterized by spontaneous progressive resorption of bone without malignant proliferation of vascular structures. The diagnosis is one of exclusion and it is based on combined histological, radiological, and clinical features. Benign vascular proliferation with fatty bone marrow and thinning of bony trabeculae is a typical histological feature. Standard radiographs of disappearing bone disease show progressive bony resorption with adjacent soft tissue involvement. Most cases of Gorham–Stout disease resolve spontaneously, but prognosis remains unpredictable. This study reports 13 cases of Gorham–Stout disease treated in our institution from 1968 to 2008. The aim of the work was to review our series and the literature on this rare disease, as well as to evaluate whether or not an optimal treatment can be identified and recommended.     

Time from ACL injury to reconstruction and the prevalence of additional intra-articular pathology: is patient age an important factor?

Purpose

Meniscus and cartilage lesions have been reported to be prevalent during delayed reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Relatively, little work has been done exploring the influence of patient age on this relationship. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the effect of time from ACL injury to reconstruction on the prevalence of associated meniscal and chondral injury is influenced by patient age. It was hypothesized that patients in whom the time from ACL injury to reconstruction exceeds 12 weeks will exhibit an increased prevalence of medial compartment pathology relative to those reconstructed within 12 weeks of injury in patients of all ages.

Methods

Data detailing time from ACL injury to reconstruction and the prevalence of intra-articular findings were obtained in 311 of 489 consecutive patients undergoing primary isolated ACL reconstruction. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether the time from ACL injury to reconstruction was <12 weeks or at least 12 weeks. The prevalence of associated intra-articular injury was then compared between the two groups. Patients were then stratified based on age (22 years and under vs. over the age of 22), and the analysis was repeated on both groups.

Results

Analysis of all patients together revealed a significantly higher prevalence of medial meniscus injury (p = 0.013) and medial compartment chondral injury (p < 0.0005) in patients in whom the time from ACL injury to reconstruction exceeded 12 weeks. The prevalence of lateral meniscal injury did not increase with increasing time ACL injury to surgery. Among patients aged 22 years and under, there was no increase in the prevalence of intra-articular pathology in any compartment in the late reconstruction group. In contrast, among patients over the age of 22, there was a significant increase in the prevalence of medial chondral injury (p = 0.042) in the late reconstruction group.

Conclusion

The prevalence of injuries to the meniscus and articular cartilage in the medial compartment of the knee is increased with increasing time from ACL injury to reconstruction. This relationship may vary depending on patient age. Patients over the age of 22 exhibit a higher prevalence of intra-articular injury with delayed reconstruction, while no such differences are noted among younger patients.

Level of evidence

Retrospective comparative study, Level III.     

What is the message of a meeting? Analysis and comparison of the 2458 abstracts of the EANM/WCNMB congress in Berlin and the SNM meeting in Toronto in 1998. European Association of Nuclear Medicine/World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology, and the Society of Nuclear Medicine

The abstracts of the joint congress of EANM/WCNMB in Berlin 1998 and of the 45th Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine in Toronto 1998 have been analysed and compared in terms of comprehensibility, composition, questions at issue, methods, patient/subject number, type of conclusion and duplication of information between the meetings. All 1362 and 1096 abstracts, respectively, were analysed from the abstract books with regard to ten "hard" and four "soft" variables. The dominant topics were new radiopharmaceuticals, methods of synthesis, examination methods, evaluation of examinations, investigation algorithms, technical devices and novel use of radiopharmaceuticals. In addition to these topics, there were numerous reports about established radiopharmaceuticals and techniques, often without a specific merit mentioned. There were also many abstracts with questions outside nuclear medicine, but using such techniques. Few papers reported negative findings or dealt with quality assurance, dosimetry, and cost-effectiveness. Many of the conclusions contained hyperbole. Some abstracts were very extensive and detailed. Sixty-seven contributions conveyed identical information at both meetings. Structured and/or paragraphed abstracts promote clarity and reduce the number of lines that need to be read in order to comprehend the background and aim of the abstract. Such contributions were more frequent at the EANM/WCNMB congress while the SNM meeting covered a wider field with a greater representation of radiophysics, instrumentation, and computer evaluations.     

Founder’s lecture of the ISS 2006: borderlands of normal and early pathological findings in MRI of the foot and ankle

The purpose of this article is to highlight the anatomical variants, technical pitfalls, and the prevalence of abnormal conditions in the asymptomatic population in magnetic resonance imaging of the foot and ankle. Special attention is drawn to the complex anatomy of the deltoid ligament (the superficial tibionavicular ligament, tibiospring ligament, the tibiocalcaneal ligament, and the deep anterior and posterior tibiotalar ligaments) and the posterior tibial tendon insertion including the magic angle artifact and the high prevalence of asymptomatic findings such as "hypertrophied" peroneal tubercle (abnormal only when larger than 5 mm), peroneus quartus (prevalence 17%), and cysts (vascular remnants) just inferior to the angle of Gissane.