MRI diagnostic performance and strategies for identifying retears in treated pediatric discoid and non-discoid lateral meniscal repairs.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a role in assessing retears of previously treated lateral menisci (LM). We aim to characterize the rate and pattern of arthroscopically confirmed LM retears in children with and without discoid morphology. 288 patients (312 knees) who underwent arthroscopic repair of isolated LM tears between 2018 and 2023 were identified. 20 patients (21 knees) had arthroscopically confirmed isolated LM retear. This included 11 retears of discoid lateral meniscus (DLM) and 10 retears of non-DLM. MRI correctly identified retear in 81.8% of DLM cases (n = 9) and 100% of non-DLM cases (overall 90.5%, P = 0.476). 78% of DLM cases (n = 7) had residual discoid elements. MRI is highly accurate in diagnosing retears in isolated LM injuries (90.5%). We suggest that the radiological approach to assessing meniscal retears can be similarly applied to treated discoid and non-discoid menisci. However, special attention to residual discoid elements is crucial in previously treated DLMs.

Association of Time Since Diagnosis of Pediatric Ileocolic Intussusception With Success of Attempted Reduction: Analysis in 1065 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Radiologists generally treat pediatric ileocolic intussusceptions emergently given potential worse outcomes from delayed reduction attempts. However, relevant literature is conflicting. OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with successful image-guided ileocolic intussusception reduction in children, with attention to the time interval since diagnosis. METHODS: This retrospective study included patients <6 years old who underwent attempted image-guided enema reduction of ileocolic intussusception between May 2009 and July 2023. Patients were separated into two groups: those presenting directly to the institution (nontransferred patients, who all underwent attempted reduction <8 hours after ultrasound diagnosis), and those transferred from outside facilities. EHR data were extracted. Each patient's first image-guided reduction attempt was classified as successful or unsuccessful. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed. RESULTS: The study included 1065 patients (649 male, 416 female; mean age, 18.1 months; age range, 2.2-71.0 months; 793 nontransferred and 272 transferred patients). In nontransferred patients, the mean interval between ultrasound diagnosis and reduction attempt was 150.8 minutes; in transferred patients, the mean interval between outside facility advanced imaging and reduction attempt was 460.1 minutes (p<.001). Successful reduction occurred in 84.6% and 81.6% of nontransferred and transferred patients, respectively (p=.25). In nontransferred patients, success occurred in 85.6% of attempts <2 hours after diagnosis versus 84.0% of attempts 2-<8 hours after diagnosis (p=.54); the mean interval from diagnosis to attempted reduction was 149.7 minutes and 156.8 minutes for successful and unsuccessful attempts, respectively (p=.53). In multivariable analysis, factors showing independent associations with success were proximal intussusception location (OR=3.63, p<.001) and absence of high-risk ultrasound findings (OR=2.57, p<.001); success was not independently associated with age, sex, bloody stools, reduction method, or time since diagnosis <2 hours (p>.05). In transferred patients, the mean interval from outside advanced imaging to attempted reduction was 463.1 minutes and 440.2 minutes for successful and unsuccessful attempts, respectively (p=.74). CONCLUSION: Intussusception reduction may not require completion emergently (within 2 hours after diagnosis), but potentially may be safely performed on an urgent basis (within 8 hours). CLINICAL IMPACT: The findings have implications for determining the standard of care, including criteria for oncall activation of radiologic resources, in pediatric intussusception management.

Investigating the Bone Bruise Patterns in Pediatric Patients With Contact and Noncontact Acute Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: In adults with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, bone bruises on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans provide insight into the underlying mechanism of injury. There is a paucity of literature that has investigated these relationships in children with ACL tears. PURPOSE: To examine and compare the number and location of bone bruises between contact and noncontact ACL tears in pediatric patients. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: Boys ≤14 years and girls ≤12 years of age who underwent primary ACL reconstruction surgery between 2018 and 2022 were identified at 3 separate institutions. Eligibility criteria required detailed documentation of the mechanism of injury and MRI performed within 30 days of the initial ACL tear. Patients with congenital lower extremity abnormalities, concomitant fractures, injuries to the posterolateral corner and/or posterior cruciate ligament, previous ipsilateral knee injuries or surgeries, or closed physes evident on MRI scans were excluded. Patients were stratified into 2 groups based on a contact or noncontact mechanism of injury. Preoperative MRI scans were retrospectively reviewed for the presence of bone bruises in the coronal and sagittal planes using fat-suppressed T2-weighted images and a grid-based mapping technique of the tibiofemoral joint. RESULTS: A total of 109 patients were included, with 76 (69.7%) patients sustaining noncontact injuries and 33 (30.3%) patients sustaining contact injuries. There were no significant differences between the contact and noncontact groups in terms of age (11.8 ± 2.0 vs 12.4 ± 1.3 years; P = .12), male sex (90.9% vs 88.2%; P > .99), time from initial injury to MRI (10.3 ± 8.1 vs 10.4 ± 8.9 days; P = .84), the presence of a concomitant medial meniscus tear (18.2% vs 14.5%; P = .62) or lateral meniscus tear (69.7% vs 52.6%; P = .097), and sport-related injuries (82.9% vs 81.8%; P = .89). No significant differences were observed in the frequency of combined lateral tibiofemoral (lateral femoral condyle + lateral tibial plateau) bone bruises (87.9% contact vs 78.9% noncontact; P = .41) or combined medial tibiofemoral (medial femoral condyle [MFC] + medial tibial plateau) bone bruises (54.5% contact vs 35.5% noncontact; P = .064). Patients with contact ACL tears were significantly more likely to have centrally located MFC bruising (odds ratio, 4.3; 95% CI, 1.6-11; P = .0038) and less likely to have bruising on the anterior aspect of the lateral tibial plateau (odds ratio, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.097-0.76; P = .013). CONCLUSION: Children with contact ACL tears were 4 times more likely to present with centrally located MFC bone bruises on preoperative MRI scans compared with children who sustained noncontact ACL tears. Future studies should investigate the relationship between these bone bruise patterns and the potential risk of articular cartilage damage in pediatric patients with contact ACL tears.

Congenital and Traumatic Conditions of the Pediatric Hand: Overview for the Radiologist.

Alignment, longitudinal growth, and function of the musculoskeletal unit of the pediatric hand is complex due to the combination of open growth plates, ossification variations, and their relationship with finger tendinous and ligamentous attachments. This review presents the basics of normal development, acquired and congenital variations, and traumatic conditions of the pediatric hand from the perspective of the pediatric musculoskeletal radiologist and hand surgeon. This multimodality imaging article focuses on non-oncologic and non-rheumatologic conditions of the pediatric hand, inclusive of fingers, thumb, and metacarpal bones.

Percent Final Height Is a Novel Method That Identifies Differences Between the Rate of Development in American Children of Different Races.

INTRODUCTION: The Greulich & Pyle (G&P) Radiographic Atlas of Skeletal Development uses hand x-rays obtained between 1926 and 1942 on children of Caucasian ancestry. Our study uses modern Caucasian, Black, Hispanic, and Asian children to investigate patterns of development as a function of percent final height (PFH). METHODS: A retrospective review, at a single institution, was conducted using children who received a hand x-ray, a height measurement taken within 60 days of that x-ray, and a final height. BA and CA were compared between races. PFH was calculated by dividing height at the time of the x-ray by their final height. To further evaluate differences between races in CA or BA, PFH was then modeled as a function of CA or BA using a fifth-degree polynomial regression, and mean ages at the 85th PFH were compared. Patients were then divided into Sanders stages 1, 2-4, and 5-8 and the mean PFH, CA, and BA of the Asian, Black, and Hispanic children were compared with the White children using Student t test. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: We studied 498 patients, including 53 Asian, 83 Black, 190 Hispanic, and 172 White patients. Mean BA was significantly greater than CA in Black males (1.27 y) and females (1.36 y), Hispanic males (1.12 y) and females (1.29 y), and White females (0.74 y). Hispanic and Black patients were significantly more advanced in BA than White patients ( P <0.001). At the 85th PFH, White and Hispanic males were older than Black males by at least 7 months ( P <0.001), and White females were significantly older than Hispanic females by 6.4 months ( P <0.001). At 85th PFH for males, Hispanic and Black males had greater BA than White males by at least 5 months ( P <0.001), and Asian females had a greater BA than Black females by at least 5 months ( P <0.001). Compared with White children, Hispanic children were significantly younger at Sanders 2-4 than White children, and Black children were skeletally older at Sanders 5-8. CONCLUSIONS: BA was greater than CA by ≥1 year in Black and Hispanic children, and that these children had a significantly greater BA than their White counterparts. Black males and Hispanic females reached their 85th PFH at younger ages, and Hispanic males and Asian females were the most skeletally mature at their 85th PFH. Our results suggest that BA and CA may vary as a function of race, and further studies evaluating growth via the 85th PFH may be necessary. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Study - Level IV.

Gartland classification concordance of supracondylar fractures among pediatric emergency medicine physicians, radiologists, and orthopedic surgeons.

BACKGROUND: The modified Gartland classification is the most widely accepted grading method of supracondylar humeral fractures among orthopedic surgeons and is relevant to identifying fractures that may require surgery. OBJECTIVE: To assess the interobserver reliability of the modified Gartland classification among pediatric radiologists, pediatric orthopedic surgeons, and pediatric emergency medicine physicians. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Elbow radiographs for 100 children with supracondylar humeral fractures were retrospectively independently graded by two pediatric radiologists, two pediatric orthopedic surgeons, and two pediatric emergency medicine physicians using the modified Gartland classification. A third grader of the same subspecialty served as a tie-breaker as needed to reach consensus. Readers were blinded to one another and to the medical record. The modified Gartland grade documented in the medical record by the treating orthopedic provider was used as the reference standard. Interobserver agreement was assessed using kappa statistics. RESULTS: There was substantial interobserver agreement (kappa = 0.77 [95% CI, 0.69-0.85]) on consensus fracture grade between the three subspecialties. Similarly, when discriminating between Gartland type I and higher fracture grades, there was substantial interobserver agreement between specialties (kappa = 0.77 [95% CI, 0.66-0.89]). The grade assigned by pediatric radiologists differed from the reference standard on 15 occasions, pediatric emergency medicine differed on 19 occasions, and pediatric orthopedics differed on 9 occasions. CONCLUSION: The modified Gartland classification for supracondylar humeral fractures is reproducible among pediatric emergency medicine physicians, radiologists, and orthopedic surgeons.

MR imaging spectrum of adolescent pubic symphyseal injuries/athletic pubalgia.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings associated with athletic pubalgia are well documented in the adult literature. OBJECTIVE: To describe the spectrum of MRI findings in adolescents with pubic symphyseal injuries/athletic pubalgia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is an institutional review board approved, retrospective study of all patients < 18 years who were referred for MRI, over the last 10 years. Two pediatric musculoskeletal radiologists evaluated the MRI in consensus for the following findings: Chronic Salter-Harris (SH)-I equivalent fracture or asymmetric parasymphyseal ossific fraying, non-retractile muscular tear or retraction, and edema of the aponeurosis and arcuate ligament. Radiographs were also reviewed for Risser stage. RESULTS: Fifteen patients were identified (100% male, median age 17 years, IQR 16-17.6). Most patients (14/15, 93%) had either asymmetric parasymphyseal ossific fraying (4/15, 27%) or chronic SH-1 equivalent fracture (10/15, 67%) of the pubic symphysis, and all patients (15/15, 100%) had aponeurotic and arcuate ligament edema. Few patients had rectus abdominis muscular retraction (2/15, 13%), non-retractile muscular tear of the rectus abdominis (2/15, 13%), and/or adductor muscle (4/15, 27%). Risser stage was as follows: stages 0 (13%), 3 (7%), 4 (47%), and 5 (33%). The injuries in our limited data set were independent of skeletal maturity with no statistically significant association between any of the MRI findings and Risser stage. CONCLUSION: The MR imaging spectrum of adolescent athletic pubalgia differs from the described findings in adults due to skeletal immaturity. The cleft sign described in adults manifests in adolescents as asymmetric parasymphyseal ossific fraying and chronic SH-1 equivalent fractures.

How Reliable Is the Measurement of the Lateral Center Edge Angle on Scoliosis Radiographs for Detecting Acetabular Dysplasia?

PURPOSE: Hip dysplasia reportedly occurs in up to 12% of the general population and may be higher in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). When using lateral center edge angle (LCEA) measurements to help identify hip dysplasia, it is uncertain if this measurement can be performed reliably on scoliosis radiographs due to parallax. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the reliability of measuring LCEA on scoliosis radiographs compared with standard pelvis radiographs. METHODS: This study evaluated 40 hips on 20 patients (mean age 12.5 years ± 3.1; 50% Female) who received PA scoliosis radiographs and AP pelvis radiographs within 1 year of each other. Review was performed by 4 pediatric radiologists (2 general, 2 MSK), 2 pediatric orthopaedic surgeons, and 1 research fellow. Radiographic measurement of the LCEA for each hip was first performed on the scoliosis radiograph. After a minimum of 3 days, the LCEA was measured on a pelvis radiograph of the same individual obtained within 1 year of the scoliosis radiograph. Pearson coefficient was used to measure agreement between scoliosis and pelvis radiograph measurements. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to evaluate intraobserver and interobserver agreement. ICC values <0.5 were classified as poor reliability, 0.5 to 0.75 were classified moderate, 0.75 to 0.90 were classified good, and >0.9 indicated excellent reliability. RESULTS: The mean difference between scoliosis and pelvis radiographs was 54 ± 79 days. There was good-to-excellent interobserver agreement on LCEA measurements made between readers on scoliosis radiographs (ICC: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90-0.96, P <0.001) and pelvis radiographs (ICC: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.83-0.95, P <0.001), and moderate-to-excellent intraobserver agreement for scoliosis radiographs (ICC range: 0.68 to 0.98; P <0.001) and pelvis radiographs (ICC range: 0.62 to 0.96; P <0.001). There was a strong correlation between LCEA measurements made on scoliosis and pelvis radiographs ( r2 =0.66, P <0.001), and the intermodality agreement between scoliosis and pelvis radiograph LCEA measurements were moderate to good (ICC range: 0.68 to 0.89, P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, there was good-to-excellent agreement between readers on scoliosis and pelvis radiographs, respectively, and moderate-to-excellent intraobserver agreement between LCEA measurements made on scoliosis radiographs and pelvis radiographs, respectively. LCEA measurements made on scoliosis radiographs strongly correlated to the measurements made on pelvis radiographs, and the intermodality ICC was also considered moderate to good. Dedicated pelvis radiographs may not be necessary during scoliosis workup and follow-up surveillance, thereby decreasing radiation exposure, cost, and improving patient care workflow. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV-diagnostic study.

Clinical impact of diagnostic image-guided injections for musculoskeletal pain work-up in adolescent and adult patients at a children's hospital: initial results.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical impact of diagnostic musculoskeletal (MSK) injections on treatment decision-making in adolescent and adult patients at a children's hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study in patients who underwent diagnostic MSK injections by fluoroscopy or ultrasound (US) between 8/2020 and 3/2023 at a children's hospital. Patients received ropivacaine and triamcinolone acetonide at pain site, reporting quantitative FACES pain score prior to, immediately following, and 2-3 days following injection. Impact on patient care was subsequently assessed. RESULTS: A total of 109 diagnostic fluoroscopic or US MSK injection referrals (mean: 17.6 years old) were included, most commonly hip (76.2%), ankle (9.2%), and iliopsoas tendon sheath (8.3%). Pain improvement occurred in 89.0% immediately and 67.9% 2-3 days after MSK injection, with net 84.4% exhibiting improvement based on pain scores and clinical exams. When there was pain improvement at the site of injection, there was a statistically higher incidence of operative intervention or additional therapeutic injections compared with the cohort that did not have symptom improvement (88% versus 35.3%, P < 0.0001). For the 15.6% (N = 17) of referrals that did not have pain improvement, 17.6% (n = 3) ultimately had an operative intervention at a separate site from the diagnostic injection, as an alternative etiology for the pain was found. CONCLUSION: Image-guided MSK injections play an important role in the management of musculoskeletal disorders. 84.4% of referrals experienced symptom relief, improving confidence for treatment decision-making. Importantly, 15.6% of patients were found to have an alternative etiology for symptoms, altering management altogether.

The Gartland classification for expediting supracondylar humerus fracture triage: a collaborative approach to structured reporting between pediatric radiologists and orthopedists.

BACKGROUND: The modified Gartland classification is an important tool for evaluation of pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures (SCHF) because it can direct treatment decisions. Gartland type I can be managed outpatient, while emergent surgical consult occurs with type II and III. This study assesses the interobserver reliability of the Gartland classification between pediatric radiologists and orthopedic providers. METHODS: A retrospective review of 320 children diagnosed with a SCHF at a single tertiary children's hospital during 2022 was conducted. The Gartland classification documented in the radiographic report by a pediatric radiologist and the classification documented in the first encounter with an orthopedic provider was collected. Kappa value was used to assess interobserver reliability of classifications between radiologists and orthopedic providers. A second group of 76 Gartland type I SCHF from 2015, prior to our institution's implementation of structured reporting, was reviewed for comparison of unnecessary orthopedic consults at initial presentation. RESULTS: The Gartland classification has excellent interobserver reliability between radiologists and orthopedic providers with 90 % (289/320) agreement and kappa of 0.854 (confidence interval: 0.805-0.903). The most frequent disagreement that occurred was fractures classified as type II by radiology and type III by orthopedics. There were similar rates of consults for the 2015 and 2022 cohorts (p = 0.26). CONCLUSION: The Gartland classification system is a reliable and effective tool for communication between radiologists and orthopedic providers. Implementing a structured reporting system has the potential to improve triage efficiency for SCHF.

Musculoskeletal injections for palliative treatment of neuromuscular hip dysplasia patients: how I do it.

This review describes our institution's standardized technique as well as potential pitfalls for therapeutic steroid injections in children with symptomatic neuromuscular hip dysplasia. Symptomatic, painful neuromuscular hip dysplasia can dramatically affect quality of life. Steroid injections are used to identify the source of perceived pain, temporarily treat pain while awaiting surgical intervention, or for therapeutic management for nonoperative hip joints.

How Often Do Patients Presenting With Severe Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Have Underlying Hip Dysplasia?

INTRODUCTION: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis radiographic screening will often include the hips. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of hip dysplasia by lateral center edge angle (LCEA) on scoliosis radiographs in patients presenting with severe range (>45 deg) idiopathic curves. METHODS: We reviewed 200 consecutive patients (400 hips) with idiopathic scoliosis with major coronal curves ≥45 degrees between October 2009 and October 2022. The presenting scoliosis radiograph PA were reviewed for the following variables: major coronal curve direction, coronal balance, and lateral center edge angles. An LCEA value ≤18 was considered dysplastic. To assess potential measurement variability related to parallax of the scoliosis radiographs, the intermodality intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was measured from a subset of 20 hip LCEA values from patients with both scoliosis and pelvis radiographs. RESULTS: A total of 200 patients [mean age: 13.6 (1.8) years; Female: 79%] were reviewed. The mean major curve (SD) was 58.6 degrees (11.4 deg). Overall 19% (37/200) patients or 11% (43/400) of hips had hip dysplasia. Of the dysplastic hips, 16% (6/43, P <0.001) were bilateral and 57% (21/43, P =0.04) were right sided. There was no association between dysplastic hip laterality and ipsilateral or contralateral coronal balance ( P =0.26) or curve direction ( P =0.49). The interobserver ICC for assessment of LCEA on scoliosis radiographs was 0.85, and the intermodality ICC between pelvic and scoliosis radiographs was 0.78. CONCLUSION: Hip dysplasia was present in 19% of patients presenting with large major curves, and many of these patients had right sided hip dysplasia. There was no association between hip dysplasia laterality and the patient's major curve direction or coronal balance. There was good intermodality reliability (ICC=0.78) between LCEA values in patients who had both scoliosis and pelvis radiographs, and good inter-rater reliability between raters. Radiographic interpretation of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis should focus not only on the description of the curve and ruling out underlying segmentation anomalies but should also include critical assessment of the hips to exclude co-existing hip dysplasia. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study-level IV.

Medial meniscal posterior horn tears and ramp lesions in pediatric patients: lessons learned.

Meniscal injuries are increasingly reported in pediatric patients due to early sports participation and are commonly encountered during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Preoperative identification of meniscal tears is crucial, particularly when involving the posteromedial meniscocapsular junction (ramp lesion). MRI plays an important role in detecting this particular type of meniscal injury. Consequently, pediatric radiologists should be aware of particular MRI findings related to ramp lesions including the presence of a medial meniscal tear, peripheral meniscal irregularity, meniscocapsular junctional fluid-like signal intensity, and capsular ligament tears. Thus, we illustrate the lessons we have learned from our institutional multidisciplinary arthroscopic-MR correlation conference for retrospectively identified posterior horn medial meniscal tears and ramp lesions.

Improved Identification of Adolescent Hip Dysplasia Using a Screening Method Based on Lateral Center Edge Angle Measurements.

BACKGROUND: In addition to the clinical exam, several quantitative measurement tools are performed on pelvic radiographs in the assessment of adolescent hip dysplasia at most dedicated pediatric hip preservation clinics, with the most commonly used measurement called the lateral center edge angle (LCEA). However, most pediatric radiologists do not use these quantitative measuring tools and instead make the diagnosis of adolescent hip dysplasia based on subjective review. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the additive value of a measurement-based diagnosis of adolescent hip dysplasia using LCEA versus subjective radiographic interpretation by pediatric radiologists. METHODS: A review of pelvic radiographs for the binomial diagnosis of hip dysplasia was performed by four pediatric radiologists (two general, two musculoskeletal). The review included 97 pelvic AP radiographs (mean age 14.4 years [range 10-20 years], 81% female) for a total of 194 hips (58 cases of adolescent hip dysplasia and 136 normal) all of whom were evaluated in a tertiary care pediatric subspecialty hip preservation clinic. Subjective radiographic interpretation of each hip for a binomial diagnosis of hip dysplasia was performed. 2 weeks later and without knowledge of the subjective radiographic interpretation results, the same review was performed with LCEA measurement and a diagnosis of hip dysplasia made when LCEA angles were under 18 degrees. A comparison of sensitivity/specificity between methods per reader was conducted. A comparison of accuracy between methods for all readers combined was performed. RESULTS: For all four reviewers, the sensitivity of subjective versus LCEA measurement-based diagnosis of hip dysplasia was 54-67% (average 58%) versus 64-72% (average 67%), respectively, and specificity was 87-95% (average 90%) versus 89-94% (average 92%), respectively. All four readers demonstrated an intra-reader trend for improvement in the diagnosis of adolescent hip dysplasia after the addition of LCEA measurements but was only statistically significant in one of the four readers. The combined accuracy of all four readers for subjective and LCEA measurement-based interpretation was 81% and 85%, respectively with p = 0.006. CONCLUSION: Compared with subjective interpretation, LCEA measurements demonstrate increased diagnostic accuracy amongst pediatric radiologists for the correct diagnosis of adolescent hip dysplasia.

Should isolated superolateral Hoffa's fat pad edema identified by MRI be reported or ignored in adolescent patients?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The presence of superolateral Hoffa's fat pad (SHFP) edema is associated with several morphometric measurements related to patellar alignment and trochlear morphology. Our aim is to evaluate management implications in adolescent patients with isolated superolateral Hoffa's fat pad edema on MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of 117 adolescents with knee MRI (mean 14.8 years old) with isolated superolateral Hoffa's fat pad edema. Patients with edema were separated into two groups based on the number of MRI axial slices involved with edema: group 1 (G1) of 27 patients with 1 slice vs group 2 (G2) of 90 patients with 2 or more slices. A comparison control group was used (45 patients who had normal MRI knees). Data points included % referral for physical therapy (PT) or surgery, Hoffa's fat pad edema, tibial tubercle-trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance and lateral trochlear inclination (LTI) angle. Fisher's exact and independent t-tests, ANOVA and regression models were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There is statistically significant difference between Hoffa's fat pad edema patients and control regarding PT referral with G1: 70%, G2: 76%, and control: 53% (p = 0.03). There is statistically significant difference between these groups regarding TT-TG measurements with higher values in edema groups; G1: 11.9 mm±4.1, G2 13 mm ±4.1, and control 8.7 mm±3.6, (p = 0.001). There was a statistically significant association between edema and increased TT-TG distance (p = 0.001) but not LTI angle (p = 0.2). CONCLUSION: MRI identification of isolated superolateral Hoffa's fat pad edema is positively associated with TT-TG distance and its presence is associated with higher referral rates to physical therapy for patella maltracking.

Providing second-opinion interpretations of pediatric imaging: embracing the call for value-added medicine.

The value of obtaining second-opinion interpretations by specialty radiologists has been established. In pediatric radiology, this has primarily been explored in general terms, comparing tertiary pediatric radiologists' interpretations to referral reads. In adults, second reads by subspecialty radiologists have been shown to yield changes in patient management, including in neuroradiology, musculoskeletal radiology and oncological radiology. Here, we examine second-opinion reads by pediatric radiologists by reviewing the pediatric and adult subspecialty literature. We also present our experience in providing subspecialty outside reads, summarizing lessons learned in implementing a system for outside interpretations into a pediatric radiology practice.

Chest CT for the Diagnosis of Pediatric Esophageal Foreign Bodies.

Foreign body ingestion is a common problem in children. Radiography is the mainstay of imaging, but many radiolucent items go undetected without further imaging by fluoroscopic esophagram. While studies in adults support the use of computed tomography (CT) for esophageal foreign body ingestion, CT has historically not been used in children given the typically higher radiation doses on CT compared with fluoroscopy. In distinction to an esophagram, CT does not require oral contrast nor presence of an onsite radiologist and can be interpreted remotely. At our institution, a dedicated CT protocol has been used for airway foreign bodies since 2015. Given the advantages of CT over esophagram, we retrospectively reviewed institutional radiation dose data from 2017 to 2020 for esophagrams, airway foreign body CT (FB-CT), and routine CT Chest to compare effective doses for each modality. For ages 1+ years, effective dose was lowest using the FB-CT protocol; esophagram mean dose showed the most variability, and was over double the dose of FB-CT for ages 5+ years. Routine CT chest doses were uniformly highest across all age ranges. Given these findings, we instituted a CT foreign body imaging protocol as the first-line imaging modality for radiolucent esophageal foreign body at our institution.

Pediatric Bassett's ligament: pathology or normal anatomy?

BACKGROUND: Bassett's ligament is an accessory fascicle of the anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament. The prevalence, normal thickness and clinical implications of a thickened ligament have not been described in the pediatric radiology literature. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and thickness of Bassett's ligament in pediatric patients with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of lateral talar osteochondral lesions, medial talar osteochondral lesions and posterior ankle impingement, to compare these measurements with normal MRIs, and to compare the reproducibility of these measurements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of pediatric ankle MRIs with four cohorts containing 21 patients each. All MRIs were retrospectively reviewed by a pediatric musculoskeletal radiologist and a pediatric radiology fellow. The prevalence of Bassett's ligament and its axial thickness were obtained for each cohort with repeat measurements for intra-observer and interobserver variability. Average thickness and standard deviation of Bassett's ligament were calculated. RESULTS: The prevalence of Bassett's ligament and its thickness in each cohort were (mean±standard deviation): lateral osteochondral lesions, 71% (15/21), 1.9±0.5 mm; medial osteochondral lesions, 52% (11/21), 1.4±0.2 mm; posterior impingement, 52% (11/21), 1.3±0.2 mm; and normal ankle examinations, 71% (15/21), 1.5±0.4 mm. The thickness of Bassett's ligament was increased in the lateral talar osteochondral lesion group when compared to normal (P=0.02), while thickness in the medial osteochondral lesion and posterior impingement groups was not significant when compared to normal. The repeat measurements showed no significant difference in intra-observer and interobserver variability. CONCLUSION: Bassett's ligament is a normal structure in children. Thickening of Bassett's ligament is seen with lateral osteochondral lesions and may be an indirect sign of anterolateral tibiotalar capsule injury.

Percutaneous ultrasound-guided ganglion fenestration in children: initial results.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate our pediatric experience with percutaneous ultrasound-guided fenestration of ganglia (PUGG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of pediatric patients who underwent PUGG from June 2016 to October 2018 at a free-standing tertiary referral academic children's hospital with a minimum of 6 months follow-up. Electronic medical records, picture archiving system, and post-procedural calls were utilized for patient demographics, lesion characteristics, procedure details, and recurrence. The procedure itself consisted of assessment by Child Life, application of topical anesthetic cream, sterile preparation and draping, and intra-procedural ultrasound guidance for local anesthetic instillation, ganglion aspiration, fenestration, and intra-remnant steroid instillation. Post-procedure care included an ice pack, compression dressing for 48 h, and 4 weeks of brace wear and activity restriction. RESULTS: Forty-five patients met the inclusion criteria, ages 3-18 years, mean 13.5 years, and female to male ratio of 2:1. Ganglion locations consisted of 80% (36/45) in the wrist and 20% (9/45) in other locations (elbow, ankle, and foot). Ninety-eight percent (44/45) of procedures were performed non-sedated, including 20% (9/44) between ages 7 and 11 years. 28.9% (13/45) of ganglia recurred, the earliest at 3 weeks, the latest at 10 months, and an average of 3 months' time. No complication occurred and no patients required post-procedural narcotics or Emergency Department visitation for pain control. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous ultrasound-guided fenestration of ganglia (PUGG) is a safe, minimally invasive alternative to surgical excision in the pediatric population, which can be performed without sedation and does not leave a scar.

Bone age determination using only the index finger: a novel approach using a convolutional neural network compared with human radiologists.

BACKGROUND: Recently developed convolutional neural network (CNN) models determine bone age more accurately than radiologists. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a CNN and radiologists can accurately predict bone age from radiographs using only the index finger rather than the whole hand. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used a public anonymized dataset provided by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) pediatric bone age challenge. The dataset contains 12,611 hand radiographs for training and 200 radiographs for testing. The index finger was cropped from these images to create a second dataset. Separate CNN models were trained using the whole-hand radiographs and the cropped second-digit dataset using the consensus ground truth provided by the RSNA bone age challenge. Bone age determination using both models was compared with ground truth as provided by the RSNA dataset. Separately, three pediatric radiologists determined bone age from the whole-hand and index-finger radiographs, and the consensus was compared to the ground truth and CNN-model-determined bone ages. RESULTS: The mean absolute difference between the ground truth and CNN bone age for whole-hand and index-finger was similar (4.7 months vs. 5.1 months, P=0.14), and both values were significantly smaller than that for radiologist bone age determination from the single-finger radiographs (8.0 months, P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: CNN-model-determined bone ages from index-finger radiographs are similar to whole-hand bone age interpreted by radiologists in the dataset, as well as a model trained on the whole-hand radiograph. In addition, the index-finger model performed better than the ground truth compared to subspecialty trained pediatric radiologists also using only the index finger to determine bone age. The radiologist interpreting bone age can use the second digit as a reliable starting point in their search pattern.