Sarcopenia in the foot on magnetic resonance imaging in patients with diabetes mellitus - a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Sarcopenia is defined by low measures of muscle quantity, quality and reduced physical performance. It is associated with higher levels of frailty. Individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) undergo sarcopenia at an accelerated rate resulting in structural changes potentially culminating in limb loss. AIMS: To review the evidence on methods of detecting and measuring sarcopenic changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the foot in patients with diabetes. METHODS: A literature review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. We searched Embase and Medline (via Ovid), CINAHL (via Ebsco Host), Web of Science and Scopus as well as the grey literature. The MeSH terms "sarcopenia" AND "diabetes mellitus" AND "magnetic resonance imaging" were employed in the primary search string. RESULTS: 874 studies were identified. 404 articles were excluded in the title and abstract screening. 33 studies were assessed for eligibility after abstract and title screening was completed by two reviewers. 7 studies evaluating sarcopenia in the foot were included in the final review. CONCLUSION: Sarcopenic changes are evident on MRI of the foot in patients with diabetes and is profound in patients with diabetic neuropathy. The general extent and severity of sarcopenia seems to correlate with clinical scores to assess neuropathy and is implicated in the development of diabetic foot disease.

Ultrasound-guided drainage of a popliteal ganglion cyst extending to the adventitia of the popliteal artery: a case report of cystic adventitial disease of synovial origin.

We report a case of a 67-year-old woman suffering from intermittent claudication secondary to severe popliteal stenosis due to compression by a popliteal ganglion cyst extending into the adventitia of the popliteal artery. After declining vein bypass grafting, this patient was successfully treated using ultrasound-guided aspiration of the cyst, which restored normal flow to the popliteal artery. Whilst aspiration of Baker's cysts causing claudication has been attempted before, this represents the first reported case of successful recanalization of the popliteal artery by ganglion cyst aspiration and further supports an important possible aetiology and treatment for cystic adventitial disease.

Artificial intelligence applied to magnetic resonance imaging reliably detects the presence, but not the location, of meniscus tears: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To review and compare the accuracy of convolutional neural networks (CNN) for the diagnosis of meniscal tears in the current literature and analyze the decision-making processes utilized by these CNN algorithms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases up to December 2022 were searched in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. Risk of analysis was used for all identified articles. Predictive performance values, including sensitivity and specificity, were extracted for quantitative analysis. The meta-analysis was divided between AI prediction models identifying the presence of meniscus tears and the location of meniscus tears. RESULTS: Eleven articles were included in the final review, with a total of 13,467 patients and 57,551 images. Heterogeneity was statistically significantly large for the sensitivity of the tear identification analysis (I2 = 79%). A higher level of accuracy was observed in identifying the presence of a meniscal tear over locating tears in specific regions of the meniscus (AUC, 0.939 vs 0.905). Pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.87 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80-0.91) and 0.89 (95% CI 0.83-0.93) for meniscus tear identification and 0.88 (95% CI 0.82-0.91) and 0.84 (95% CI 0.81-0.85) for locating the tears. CONCLUSIONS: AI prediction models achieved favorable performance in the diagnosis, but not location, of meniscus tears. Further studies on the clinical utilities of deep learning should include standardized reporting, external validation, and full reports of the predictive performances of these models, with a view to localizing tears more accurately. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Meniscus tears are hard to diagnose in the knee magnetic resonance images. AI prediction models may play an important role in improving the diagnostic accuracy of clinicians and radiologists. KEY POINTS: • Artificial intelligence (AI) provides great potential in improving the diagnosis of meniscus tears. • The pooled diagnostic performance for artificial intelligence (AI) in identifying meniscus tears was better (sensitivity 87%, specificity 89%) than locating the tears (sensitivity 88%, specificity 84%). • AI is good at confirming the diagnosis of meniscus tears, but future work is required to guide the management of the disease.

The utility and tolerability of ultrasound guided muscle biopsy in the investigation of myopathy: a follow-up study.

INTRODUCTION: Open surgical muscle biopsy has traditionally been required for the histological diagnosis of myopathy but requires neurosurgical expertise with a variable diagnostic yield. Ultrasound guided percutaneous approaches are less resource intensive and invasive. This follow-up study aims to assess the diagnostic yield and tolerability of this approach to assess its utility as an adjunct to the traditional open surgical technique. METHODOLOGY: Between March of 2020 and June of 2021, 24 patients underwent a muscle biopsy following discussion at our regional neuromuscular multi-disciplinary team meeting. A consultant musculoskeletal radiologist used a modified Bergstrom needle to obtain a minimum of 2 samples under 500 mmHg of suction and ultrasound guidance. These were followed up to assess the diagnostic yield. A survey was also sent to the patients to assess the tolerability of the procedure. RESULTS: 21 out of the 24 biopsies performed provided diagnostic information. Of these 3 non diagnostic samples were obtained, two were insufficient in size and one consisted of fatty tissue. Of the 21 patients who responded to the survey, 18 rated the procedure as good or excellent with 3 patients rated it as average or poor citing administrative or communication issues rather than procedural. All 5 patients who had previously undergone surgical biopsy expressed a preference for the ultrasound guided percutaneous approach. No patients experienced any complications. CONCLUSION: This follow-up study reinforces the conclusion of its predecessor by highlighting that ultrasound guided percutaneous muscle biopsy is a useful and tolerable adjunct to the traditional surgical technique in investigating muscle disorders.

Augmented Reality in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery: Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Technological advances have transformed vascular intervention in recent decades. In particular, improvements in imaging and data processing have allowed for the development of increasingly complex endovascular and hybrid interventions. Augmented reality (AR) is a subject of growing interest in surgery, with the potential to improve clinicians' understanding of 3D anatomy and aid in the processing of real-time information. This study hopes to elucidate the potential impact of AR technology in the rapidly evolving fields of vascular and endovascular surgery. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to summarize the fundamental concepts of AR technologies and conduct a scoping review of the impact of AR and mixed reality in vascular and endovascular surgery. METHODS: A systematic search of MEDLINE, Scopus, and Embase was performed in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. All studies written in English from inception until January 8, 2021, were included in the search. Combinations of the following keywords were used in the systematic search string: ("augmented reality" OR "hololens" OR "image overlay" OR "daqri" OR "magic leap" OR "immersive reality" OR "extended reality" OR "mixed reality" OR "head mounted display") AND ("vascular surgery" OR "endovascular"). Studies were selected through a blinded process between 2 investigators (JE and AS) and assessed using data quality tools. RESULTS: AR technologies have had a number of applications in vascular and endovascular surgery. Most studies (22/32, 69%) used 3D imaging of computed tomography angiogram-derived images of vascular anatomy to augment clinicians' anatomical understanding during procedures. A wide range of AR technologies were used, with heads up fusion imaging and AR head-mounted displays being the most commonly applied clinically. AR applications included guiding open, robotic, and endovascular surgery while minimizing dissection, improving procedural times, and reducing radiation and contrast exposure. CONCLUSIONS: AR has shown promising developments in the field of vascular and endovascular surgery, with potential benefits to surgeons and patients alike. These include reductions in patient risk and operating times as well as in contrast and radiation exposure for radiological interventions. Further technological advances are required to overcome current limitations, including processing capacity and vascular deformation by instrumentation.

Evaluation Challenges for the Application of Extended Reality Devices in Medicine.

Augmented and virtual reality devices are being actively investigated and implemented for a wide range of medical uses. However, significant gaps in the evaluation of these medical devices and applications hinder their regulatory evaluation. Addressing these gaps is critical to demonstrating the devices' safety and effectiveness. We outline the key technical and clinical evaluation challenges discussed during the US Food and Drug Administration's public workshop, "Medical Extended Reality: Toward Best Evaluation Practices for Virtual and Augmented Reality in Medicine" and future directions for evaluation method development. Evaluation challenges were categorized into several key technical and clinical areas. Finally, we highlight current efforts in the standards communities and illustrate connections between the evaluation challenges and the intended uses of the medical extended reality (MXR) devices. Participants concluded that additional research is needed to assess the safety and effectiveness of MXR devices across the use cases.

Subtalar joint middle facet agenesis: a case report and literature review.

Articular facet morphology plays a fundamental role in subtalar joint biomechanics and stability, and likely influences the development of hindfoot osteoarthritis. While multiple anatomical studies have shown wide variation in articular facet configuration, the clinico-radiological findings are rarely presented. We illustrate a case of bilateral subtalar joint middle facet agenesis in a 45-year-old woman, which was missed despite several presentations. We demonstrate the imaging findings to enable clinicians to distinguish this from the more common middle facet coalition. We summarise the developmental anatomy and discuss the potential implications on biomechanical function. Recognition of middle facet agenesis within the complex subtalar joint is important to prevent misdiagnosis and unnecessary surgery.

Pictorial review of whole body MRI in myeloma: emphasis on diffusion-weighted imaging.

There have been major advances in myeloma imaging over the past few years with focal lesions on imaging now forming part of the disease defining criteria. Whole body diffusion-weighted MRI (WB-MRI) is considered the most sensitive technique for the detection of focal active lesions. This pictorial review will focus on imaging the spectrum of myelomatous disorders on WB-MRI including diffusion and Dixon sequences. The typical imaging patterns of disease are demonstrated including in the contexts of staging, presumed solitary plasmacytoma, smouldering myeloma and examples of paramedullary and extramedullary disease. The utility of diffusion-weighted imaging in response assessment is a major advantage and this will be exemplified here.

Ultrasound-guided muscle biopsy: a practical alternative for investigation of myopathy.

OBJECTIVE: We propose the use of ultrasound-guided muscle biopsy as a viable method of obtaining muscle specimen to aid the diagnosis of myopathy. We retrospectively review the diagnostic accuracy and patient feedback of ultrasound-guided muscle biopsies in our neuromuscular service. METHOD: Multidisciplinary team meeting reviewed select patients and agreed on those suitable for ultrasound-guided muscle biopsy. They then underwent biopsy using direct ultrasound guidance and a modified Bergström needle. The specimens were sent for histopathological analysis, and patients were given a feedback form. RESULTS: Ten patients underwent 11 ultrasound-guided muscle biopsies. Of these 11, one was processed incorrectly, but all others were good quality specimens suitable for analysis. All 10 of those processed correctly aided diagnosis. All patient feedback was rated good or excellent. In 4 patients with a previous unsuccessful surgical biopsy, ultrasound-guided biopsy was successful in obtaining suitable muscle. Of those 4 patients, 3 preferred ultrasound-guided biopsy, and 1 did not state a preference. DISCUSSION: Our ultrasound-guided muscle biopsy technique offers a viable alternative to surgical biopsy. It yields high-quality specimen that aids diagnosis and receives good feedback from patients. It can be performed quickly as a day case and does not require theatre space. Furthermore, direct visualization of structures minimizes the risk of complications and allows biopsy of otherwise difficult to access targets. CONCLUSION: Utilization of ultrasound guided-modified Bergström needle technique for muscle biopsy provides comparable success rates to other techniques and has practical, clinical, operational, and patient-centred benefits compared with alternative techniques.

Missed posterior shoulder fracture dislocations: a new protocol from a London major trauma centre.

BACKGROUND: A high incidence of missed posterior shoulder dislocations is widely recognised in the literature. Concern was raised by the upper limb multidisciplinary team at a London major trauma centre that these missed injuries were causing serious consequences due to the need for surgical intervention and poor functional outcome. OBJECTIVE: To identify factors contributing to missed diagnosis and propose solutions. METHODS: A local quality improvement report was performed investigating time from admission to diagnosis of simple posterior dislocations and fracture dislocations over a 5-year period. Factors contributing to a delayed diagnosis were analysed. RESULTS: The findings supported current evidence: a posterior shoulder dislocation was more often missed if there was concurrent fracture of the proximal humerus. Anteroposterior and scapular Y view radiographs were not always diagnostic for dislocation. Axial views were more reliable in assessment of the congruency of the joint and were associated with early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of the injury. DISCUSSION: As a result of these findings a new protocol was produced by the orthopaedic and radiology departments and distributed to our emergency department practitioners and radiography team. The protocol included routine axial or modified trauma axial view radiographs for all patients attending the emergency department with a shoulder injury, low clinical suspicion for dislocation and a low threshold for CT scan. Reaudit and ongoing data collection have shown significant increase in axial view radiographs and improved diagnosis.

Imaging in myeloma with focus on advanced imaging techniques.

In recent years, there have been major advances in the imaging of myeloma with whole body MRI incorporating diffusion-weighted imaging, emerging as the most sensitive modality. Imaging is now a key component in the work-up of patients with a suspected diagnosis of myeloma. The International Myeloma Working Group now specifies that more than one focal lesion on MRI or lytic lesion on whole body low-dose CT or fludeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT fulfil the criteria for bone damage requiring therapy. The recent National Institute for Health and Care Excellence myeloma guidelines recommend imaging in all patients with suspected myeloma. In addition, there is emerging data supporting the use of functional imaging techniques (WB-DW MRI and FDG PET/CT) to predict outcome and evaluate response to therapy. This review summarises the imaging modalities used in myeloma, the latest guidelines relevant to imaging and future directions.

Ring Ring Ring! Characterising Telephone Interruptions During Radiology Reporting and How to Reduce These.

BACKGROUND: Telephone calls remain one of the most frequent interruptions in radiology reporting rooms, despite modern electronic order communication systems. A call received by a radiology trainee during the hour before completing a report may increase the chance of a discrepancy by 12%. AIM: To characterise telephone calls to radiology reporting rooms and identify ways to reduce these interruptions. METHODS AND MATERIALS: An observational study over five working days (10 programmed activity reporting sessions equivalent) was conducted across 2 large teaching hospital reporting rooms. Radiologists were requested to record all calls between 9a.m and 5p.m on a preprepared Excel proforma and indicate their initial rating of call appropriateness. RESULTS: A total of 288 calls recorded, 92% (266/288) interrupted reporting. Reasons for calls were 48% (139/288) ask for a request to be vetted, 17% (50/288) ask for a study to be reported, 17% (45/288) "other," 7% (19/288) discuss choice of study, 6% (16/288) review a report, 3% (9/288) wrong number, 2% (7/288) returning a bleep, and 1% (3/288) provide further explanation in addition to the electronic request form. CONCLUSION: Radiologists and referrers remain over reliant on telephone interruptions for their workflow. Attempts to educate referrers previously reduced calls to a computed tomography reporting room by 28%. Our recommendations include (1) defining protected activities, (2) adhering to fully electronic requesting and vetting processes, other than in time critical or exceptional circumstances, (3) electronic critical report alerts and review of report priority triaging to reduce calls for reports, (4) revising duty radiologist timetables to tackle nonreporting responsibilities, and (5) improving new doctor induction in the organization to improve radiology request practice.

Changes in northern hemisphere male international rugby union players' body mass and height between 1955 and 2015.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to establish the effects of professionalism, which officially began in 1995, on the body mass and height of northern hemisphere male international rugby union (RU) players. We hypothesised that mass would significantly increase following professionalism. We also investigated the changes in size of players according to their playing position, and we compared changes to rugby league (RL) players and the public. METHODS: The body mass and height of players representing their international team for that country's first game of the Five Nations in 1955, 1965, 1975, 1985 and 1995 and, for 2005 and 2015, the Six Nations, were collected from matchday programmes. RL players' data were collected from the Challenge Cup final games played in the same years. RESULTS: International RU player body mass has significantly increased since 1995. In 1955 mean (±SD) player body mass was 84.8 kg (±8.2); in 2015, it was 105.4 kg (±12.1), an increase of 24.3%. Between 1955 and 2015, the body mass of forwards increased steadily, whereas that of backs has mostly gone up since 1995. RU player body mass gain has exceeded that of RL, but the age-matched difference between RU players and the public has remained relatively constant. CONCLUSIONS: The factors influencing the gain in body mass of rugby players are legion; however, we believe that the interpretation of the law relating to the scrum put-in and changes allowing substitutions have, at least in part, contributed to the observed changes. Injury severity is increasing, and this may be linked to greater forces (caused by greater body mass) occurring in contact. RU law makers should adjust the rules to encourage speed and skill at the expense of mass.

Through the HoloLens™ looking glass: augmented reality for extremity reconstruction surgery using 3D vascular models with perforating vessels.

Precision and planning are key to reconstructive surgery. Augmented reality (AR) can bring the information within preoperative computed tomography angiography (CTA) imaging to life, allowing the surgeon to 'see through' the patient's skin and appreciate the underlying anatomy without making a single incision. This work has demonstrated that AR can assist the accurate identification, dissection and execution of vascular pedunculated flaps during reconstructive surgery. Separate volumes of osseous, vascular, skin, soft tissue structures and relevant vascular perforators were delineated from preoperative CTA scans to generate three-dimensional images using two complementary segmentation software packages. These were converted to polygonal models and rendered by means of a custom application within the HoloLens™ stereo head-mounted display. Intraoperatively, the models were registered manually to their respective subjects by the operating surgeon using a combination of tracked hand gestures and voice commands; AR was used to aid navigation and accurate dissection. Identification of the subsurface location of vascular perforators through AR overlay was compared to the positions obtained by audible Doppler ultrasound. Through a preliminary HoloLens-assisted case series, the operating surgeon was able to demonstrate precise and efficient localisation of perforating vessels.

Autoimmune necrotising myopathy and HMGCR antibodies.

Statins lower serum cholesterol concentrations by inhibiting the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR). Muscle side effects are relatively common and include asymptomatic elevation of serum creatine kinase (CK), myalgia, proximal muscle weakness and rhabdomyolysis. More recently, a subset of cases of immune-mediated necrotising myopathy has been found to have antibodies against HMGCR. It is often an aggressive and debilitating myopathy and has a complex pathogenesis characterised by fibre necrosis, usually with minimal associated inflammation. Not all such patients are taking statins. The general consensus is that best treatment involves withdrawing the statin and giving immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory treatment. We describe three cases of HMGCR-related immune-mediated necrotising myopathy, detailing their clinical course and subsequent management, illustrating the spectrum of this disorder.

Popeye sign of the semimembranosus.

A 23-year-old amateur football player presented 9 months after acute onset of severe pain and a lump in the posterior right knee whilst lifting a heavy box. He had been unable to return to playing football or climbing the stairs. Clinically, a Baker's cyst was suspected. MRI scan, the imaging modality of choice, was essentially normal. A subsequent ultrasound (US) scan demonstrated abnormal dynamic bunching of the muscle fibres at the distal semimembranosus myotendinous junction on resisted isometric contraction, most likely due to a previous tear isolated to the distal myotendinous junction. The proximal biceps femoris tendon is the most commonly injured part of the hamstring. Distal semimembranosus tears are far less common. Semimembranosus tendinopathy is an uncommon cause of chronic knee pain that is probably underdiagnosed and inadequately treated. In this case, the distal semimembranosus injury was occult on MRI because the features were only apparent with dynamic imaging, something that is not routinely part of musculoskeletal MRI protocols, whereas real-time imaging is easily performed with US. MRI is thought to be more sensitive than US for follow-up imaging of healing hamstring injuries; however, this case highlights the usefulness of dynamic imaging of muscle injuries with US. We propose that the abnormal dynamic muscle bulge on the US image would be aptly described as a "Popeye sign," which, to our knowledge, has not previously been reported in any other anatomical location than the long head of the biceps brachii in the published literature.

Image-Guided Intervention of the Postoperative Foot and Ankle After Ligament and Tendon Repair.

This review article describes the potential range of image-guided interventional procedures performed following foot and ankle ligament and/or tendon repair. Diagnosis of the cause of recurrent or persistent pain/symptoms in this postoperative group is challenging and requires a coordinated clinical and radiologic assessment. This directs appropriate treatment including image-guided intervention that may be used both as a diagnostic tool and a therapeutic option. There is a paucity of high-quality studies on the role of image-guided intervention in the foot and ankle after ligament/tendon repair. Many of the procedures used in this group are extrapolated from other areas of the body or the preoperative scenario. We review the role of imaging to identify the cause of postsurgical symptoms and to direct appropriate image-guided intervention. The available injectables and their roles are discussed. Specific surgical procedures are described including lateral ligament repair, Achilles repair, posterior tibialis tendon surgery, and peroneal tendon surgery.

MRI of the tibioastragalus anticus of Gruber muscle: a rare accessory muscle and normal anatomical variant.

We present the case of a 31-year-old man who sustained a hyperplantar flexion injury of his right ankle, and was evaluated using computed tomography and MRI to assess for osseous and ligamentous injury. The MRI and CT studies demonstrated a tibioastragalus anticus of Gruber (TAAG) muscle in the lower limb's anterior compartment. To our knowledge, the imaging of this muscle has not been previously described. The TAAG muscle arises from the lower third of the anterolateral tibia and the interosseous membrane. Its tendon passes laterally, deep to the tibialis anterior and extensor hallucis longus tendons, and inserts onto the anterior superolateral neck of the talus in a fan-like manner. Knowledge and recognition of this tendon are important for both diagnostic accuracy and surgical planning, and could potentially be used as a tendon transfer or graft in the appropriate clinical setting. The presence of this accessory muscle should not be confused with a pathological condition.

Feasibility of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis on 1.0-T open-bore MRI.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of non-invasive diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of the knee of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and, further, to analyze the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) levels to distinguish synovium from effusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Standard magnetic resonance imaging of the knee including post-contrast imaging was obtained in eight patients (mean age, 12 years 8 months, five females) using an open-bore magnetic resonance imaging system (1.0 T). In addition, axially acquired echo-planar DWI datasets (b-values 0, 50, and 600) were prospectively obtained and the diffusion images were post-processed into ADC50-600 maps. Two independent observers selected a region of interest (ROI) for both synovium and effusion using aligned post-contrast images as landmarks. Mann-Whitney U test was performed to compare ADC synovium and ADC effusion. RESULTS: DWI was successfully obtained in all patients. When data of both observers was combined, ADC synovium was lower than ADC effusion in the ROI in seven out of eight patients (median, 1.92 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s vs. 2.40 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s, p = 0.006, respectively). Similar results were obtained when the two observers were analyzed separately (observer 1: p = 0.006, observer 2: p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study, on a patient-friendly 1.0-T open-bore MRI, we demonstrated that DWI may potentially be a feasible non-invasive imaging technique in children with JIA. We could differentiate synovium from effusion in seven out of eight patients based on the ADC of synovium and effusion. However, to select synovium and effusion on DWI, post-contrast images were still a necessity.