The diagnostic value of susceptibility-weighted imaging for identifying acute intraarticular hemorrhages.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) in identifying acute intraarticular hemorrhages and differentiating blood from other types of joint effusions. METHODS: Thirty-two patients (21 men, 11 women; mean age 38.7 ± 16.5 SD) clinically suspected of having joint effusion were prospectively included. All the patients underwent both conventional MRI and SWI. Two radiologists independently reviewed the conventional MRI images and scored the likelihood of intraarticular hemorrhage using a 5-level scoring system. Immediately thereafter, SWI images of each patient were also provided for the radiologists, and the scoring was repeated evaluating the conventional MRI and SWI images together. The patients underwent joint aspiration or surgical operation as the reference standard. The area under the curve (AUC) of conventional MRI and conventional MRI + SWI methods were calculated and compared. The weighted kappa analysis was used to evaluate the interobserver agreement. RESULTS: Traumatic knee injury comprised the majority of study sample. Eighteen out of 32 of the patients were proven to have intraarticular hemorrhage. Using the conventional MRI, reader 1 and 2 achieved AUCs of 0.67 (p = 0.09) and 0.53 (p = 0.76), respectively. Following the addition of SWI, reader 1 and 2 achieved AUCs of 0.96 (p = 0.0001) and 0.95 (p = 0.0001), respectively, and interobserver agreement improved from Κ = 0.61 to Κ = 0.93. Accordingly, difference between the AUCs was 0.28 (p = 0.003) and 0.42 (p = 0.0001) for reader 1 and 2, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: If confirmed by future studies, SWI enables the reliable and accurate diagnosis of acute intraarticular hemorrhages.

Pentaorchidism diagnosed on ultrasound examination: A case report and literature review.

Polyorchidism is a congenital malformation of the urogenital system that is usually found incidentally in adolescent age groups. Ultrasound and MRI are effective non-invasive diagnostic modalities which can differentiate this condition from other intrascrotal pathologies. Ultrasonography is mostly used in initial steps of diagnostic approach; however, MRI is considered as a modality to confirm diagnosis and evaluate possible malignancy. We report an extremely rare case of pentaorchidism (five testicles), presented with a left hemiscrotum mass. Diagnosis was made based on physical examination, laboratory analysis (testicular germ cell tumour markers and semen analysis) and imaging. Finally, close surveillance with ultrasound and physical examination was recommended for follow-up of this uncomplicated patient.

Polyorchidism in ultrasound examination: A case report.

Polyorchidism is usually diagnosed incidentally when the patient undergoes imaging or surgery for some other reason. Although we are facing lack of evidence in different steps of diagnostic and therapeutic workup of these patients, this disorder is usually considered benign, not requiring any intervention. We report the case of a man complaining of a palpable mass in his scrotum. We evaluated the patient using ultrasound, MRI and serum tumour marker level measurement. The patient was finally diagnosed with polyorchidism (three testes). For the management, we recommended annual physical examination, US examination and serum tumour marker level measurement.

The geometric features of tibiofemoral joint associated with anterior cruciate ligament injury: Reliability of measurements on conventional MRI.

Purpose: To evaluate the measurement reliability of the geometric features of tibiofemoral joint on conventional knee MRI and also identify the features associated with increased risk of ACL injury. Methods: This retrospective case-control study included knee MRIs of 60 patients with ACL injury (34 men, 26 women; mean age 34 ± 13.6 SD) and 60 normal individuals (31 men, 29 women; mean age 36 ± 11.4 SD). Geometric features of distal femur (intercondylar notch width, transcondylar width, and intercondylar notch angle) and tibial plateau (medial tibial plateau slope, lateral tibial plateau slope, and medial tibial plateau depth) were independently measured by two radiologists for each of the patients. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values were calculated to assess the reliability of the measurements. Variables with acceptable ICC values were included in the final logistic regression model, but the remaining were only reported descriptively. Results: There was good to excellent agreement between the radiologist in the measurement of ICNW and TCW. However, the agreement between the radiologists was not acceptable for the rest of the variables. The univariate logistic regression model showed as ICNW decreases, the risk of ACL injury increases (OR = 0.12, 95% CI [0.02, 0.60], p = 0.01). Conclusions: Our results suggest that ICNW and TCW are the only geometric features of the tibiofemoral joint that can be reliably measured on conventional knee MRI. Moreover, decreased ICNW is associated with an increased risk of ACL injury.

Osteoid osteoma of the second metatarsal bone diagnosed on MRI: A case report and literature review.

Osteoid osteoma is a relatively common benign bone tumor that is most frequently seen on the appendicular skeleton in adolescents and young adults. Here we present the case of a 14-year-old boy presenting with a 10 month history of pain in his left foot which had been misdiagnosed as stress fracture due to its unusual clinical presentation. Magnetic resonance imaging of the left foot revealed a bone lesion with typical features of the osteoid osteoma on the distal part of the second metatarsal bone. The lesion was surgically removed and the diagnosis of osteoid osteoma was confirmed by post-surgical histopathologic examination of the resected section. The patient reported a substantial relief in his pain 4 weeks following the surgical operation.

Partial Splenic Embolization for the Management of Severe Refractory Thrombocytopenia in Antiphospholipid Syndrome: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Antiphospholipid syndrome is an autoimmune condition characterized by arteriovenous thromboembolic events. Thrombocytopenia is a common finding among these patients and is typically of mild severity not requiring any treatment. However, severe cases of thrombocytopenia should be treated. Steroids, intravenous immune globulin (IVIG), and immunomodulatory agents are the first-line treatment options, and surgical splenectomy is usually reserved for more severe and refractory cases of thrombocytopenia. Herein, we report the case of a 30-year-old man with primary antiphospholipid syndrome and severe thrombocytopenia. The patient's thrombocytopenia had been refractory to almost all the medical managements, and surgical splenectomy could not be an option due to the patient's high-risk condition for surgery. The patient was successfully managed by partial splenic embolization (PSE) which was a unique application of this technique.