Pronator quadratus imaging.

Our objectives are to review the sonographic features of the pronator quadratus muscle, to explain the major advantages of ultrasonography as compared to other imaging modalities and to identify the clinical applications in routine wrist ultrasound examination.

The biceps tendons: From the top and from the bottom.

The biceps brachii muscle, which inserts proximally onto the scapula and distally onto the forearm, has several tendons with numerous anatomic peculiarities, which render their sonographic examination highly variable. Proximally, the tendon of the short head of the biceps inserts onto the coracoid process and that of the long head on the superior aspect of the glenoid. The distal biceps tendon is bifurcated, and it generally inserts on the radial tuberosity, around which it rolls during pronation/supination. There is a third distal structure, the Lacertus fibrosus, an aponeurosis that branches off from the medial aspect of the tendon, crossing the median artery and median nerve, and inserting on the superficial aponeurosis of the flexor muscles. The sonographic examination of these tendons focuses on nine separate zones of interest: the glenoid insertion of the long head, its extension to the upper pole of the humeral head, the rotator interval, the reflection to the upper bicipital groove, the bicipital groove, the upper myotendinous junction, the lower myotendinous junction, the distal tendon(s), and the inferior enthesis. Because of their morphological and topographical characteristics, the biceps tendons are subject to a variety of lesions, some of which are frequently misdiagnosed on the basis of clinical findings. Ultrasound plays an important role in detecting and characterizing these lesions. Proper examination of the biceps (the distal portion in particular) is a difficult task that cannot be improvised.

Ultrasound evaluation of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome before and after endoscopic release of the transverse carpal ligament.

AIM: To evaluate the cross-sectional area of the median nerve using ultrasound in carpal tunnel syndrome patients before and after endoscopic intervention. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (15 women and five men; mean age 55 years) were prospectively evaluated. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. The study was approved by our Institutional Review Board (IRB). Median nerve cross-sectional area was evaluated at the proximal level before and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after endoscopic release of the transverse ligament. In the present study, the median nerve cross-sectional area cut-off point was 10 mm(2). Repeated measures analysis of variance test (ANOVA) was applied to compare the reproducibility of ultrasound measurements before and after intervention. RESULTS: The mean cross-sectional area of the median nerve was 15 mm(2) (SD+/-2.1) before surgery; and 11.1 mm(2) (SD+/-3); 9.2 mm(2) (SD+/-2); and 8.6 mm(2) (SD+/-1.6) at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after surgery. Repeated measures analyses of variance were found to be statistically significant (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study demonstrated that there was a decrease in the cross-sectional area of the median nerve after the release of the transverse carpal ligament.

[Ultrasonography of the tendons: from image to pathology]. / Ecografía tendinosa: de la imagen a la patología.

Radiology allows to define etiologies of tendon injuries and authorize a most suitable treatment. For that reason, the use of the sonography has been developed from several years and has four main purposes to define the type of injury and to orient the treatment: to confirm the real existence of the tendon tear, to need the exact location the same one, to determine the gravity of the lesion, and finally, to evaluate its acute or chronic character. In this paper, we will try to define the normal pattern of the tendon and describe the more frequent lesions of the shoulder or the ankle: complete or partial tear, tendinopathy, dislocation and enthesopathy.

[Impingement and kinesiology]. / Cinésiologie et conflits.

During physical activity, especially in sport, repeated and/or exaggerated movements may lead to different impingements. Rupture, luxation, and tendon insertion injuries are seen after mobilization in the acute phase, but the goal of this paper is to analyze chronic impingements. It is possible to see the consequences of these impingements in all the musculoskeletal structures but, in relation to movement, three groups can be described. In the first, there is chronic compression and percussion between two structures; in the second there is entrapment and friction, and in the third, there is distraction. These impingements are frequent and are seen in all people, but particular movements during sport can increase their frequency.

Extensor carpi ulnaris injuries in tennis players: a study of 28 cases.

Pain on the ulnar side of the wrist is common among elite tennis players. Ten years of experience has allowed identification of a pathology involving the extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) tendon. On the basis of 28 clinical cases seen over the last five years, three clinical patterns are described: (a) acute instability of the ECU; (b) tendinopathy; (c) ECU rupture. Each of these clinical entities requires a different therapeutic approach. A review of the relevant anatomy is provided.

[Dynamic ultrasonography]. / Echographie dynamique.

The ability to perform dynamic evaluation is a great advantage of ultrasound especially for musculoskeletal evaluation. Different manoeuvres are routinely used. The importance of the mobility of a structure or an articulation, but also the grade of compression of the lesion, can provide useful diagnostic information. For ligaments, the tension of each band is important and mobilisation is often able to depict some conflicts between the tendons and others structures. Muscle contraction is also an important element for making the diagnosis and, similar to a Valsalva manoeuvre for the diagnosis of a hernia. Interventional procedures are also facilitated by this dynamic evaluation. On the other hand, this great advantage requires the presence of a physician during the examination.

[Ultrasound of acute disorders of the shoulder]. / L'echographie dans les atteintes aiguës de l'epaule.

Acute pain of the shoulder, with or without associated injury shows specific features that enable differentiation from chronic lesions. Osteo-articular injuries, tendinous lesions, bursitis and moving calcification may produce acute pain. Examination of the acromio-clavicular joint is also essential as acromial lesions are often overlooked in emergency radiology. Along with X-ray radiography, sonography, if adequately performed, is able to determine the etiology of acute pain and to establish lesion staging.

EULAR report on the use of ultrasonography in painful knee osteoarthritis. Part 2: exploring decision rules for clinical utility.

BACKGROUND: Synovial inflammation (as defined by hypertrophy and effusion) is common in osteoarthritis (OA) and may be important in both pain and structural progression. OBJECTIVE: To determine if decision rules can be devised from clinical findings and ultrasonography (US) to allow recognition of synovial inflammation in patients with painful knee OA. METHODS: A EULAR-ESCISIT cross sectional, multicentre study enrolled subjects with painful OA knee who had clinical, radiographic, and US evaluations. A classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was performed to find combinations of predictor variables that would provide high sensitivity and specificity for clinically detecting synovitis and effusion in individual subjects. A range of definitions for the two key US variables, synovitis and effusion (using different combinations of synovial thickness, depth, and appearance), were also included in exploratory analyses. RESULTS: 600 patients with knee OA were included in the analysis. For both knee synovitis and joint effusion, the sensitivity and specificity were poor, yielding unsatisfactory likelihood ratios (75% sensitivity, 45% specificity, and positive LR of 1.36 for knee synovitis; 71.6% sensitivity, 43.2% specificity, and positive LR of 1.26 for joint effusion). The exploratory analyses did not improve the sensitivity and specificity (demonstrating positive LRs of between 1.26 and 1.57). CONCLUSION: Although it is possible to determine clinical and radiological predictors of OA inflammation in populations, CART analysis could not be used to devise useful clinical decision rules for an individual subject. Thus sensitive imaging techniques such as US remain the most useful tool for demonstrating synovial inflammation of the knee at the individual level.

EULAR report on the use of ultrasonography in painful knee osteoarthritis. Part 1: prevalence of inflammation in osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of inflammation in subjects with chronic painful knee osteoarthritis (OA), as determined by the presence of synovitis or joint effusion at ultrasonography (US); and to evaluate the correlation between synovitis, effusion, and clinical parameters. METHODS: A cross sectional, multicentre, European study was conducted under the umbrella of EULAR-ESCISIT. SUBJECTS: had primary chronic knee OA (ACR criteria) with pain during physical activity >or=30 mm for at least 48 hours. Clinical parameters were collected by a rheumatologist and an US examination of the painful knee was performed by a radiologist or rheumatologist within 72 hours of the clinical examination. Ultrasonographic synovitis was defined as synovial thickness >or=4 mm and diffuse or nodular appearance, and a joint effusion was defined as effusion depth >or=4 mm. RESULTS: 600 patients with painful knee OA were analysed. At US 16 (2.7%) had synovitis alone, 85 (14.2%) had both synovitis and effusion, 177 (29.5%) had joint effusion alone, and 322 (53.7%) had no inflammation according to the definitions employed. Multivariate analysis showed that inflammation seen by US correlated statistically with advanced radiographic disease (Kellgren-Lawrence grade >or=3; odds ratio (OR)=2.20 and 1.91 for synovitis and joint effusion, respectively), and with clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of an inflammatory "flare", such as joint effusion on clinical examination (OR=1.97 and 2.70 for synovitis and joint effusion, respectively) or sudden aggravation of knee pain (OR=1.77 for joint effusion). CONCLUSION: US can detect synovial inflammation and effusion in painful knee OA, which correlate significantly with knee synovitis, effusion, and clinical parameters suggestive of an inflammatory "flare".

Sonoanatomy of the ulnar nerve in the cubital tunnel: a multicentre study by the GEL.

The objective is to determine the normal appearance of the ulnar nerve on a posterior axial sonogram section of the elbow through the medial epicondyle and the humeroulnar joint space. Ultrasound evaluation was carried out on 400 elbows with measurement of the ulnar nerve cross-sectional area and ulnar nerve-cortex distance, as well as recording of apparent ulnar nerve division. Factors that significantly influenced the study variables were sought by statistical analysis. Mean cross-sectional area of the ulnar nerve at the elbow was 7.9 +/- 3.1 mm2 overall. Values were lower in females than in males and increased between 40 and 60 years of age. The ulnar nerve-cortex distance was 0.8 +/- 0.4 mm and varied widely across individuals. Apparent ulnar nerve division at the elbow was noted in about one-fifth of individuals, with no difference between females and males or between the right and left elbows. When present, apparent division was often bilateral and was not associated with changes in cross-sectional area or in distance from the medial epicondyle cortex. This study provides normative data on ulnar nerve sonoanatomy at the elbow and establishes that apparent ulnar nerve division at the elbow is a normal variant.

[Ligament pathology of the ankle joint]. / Pathologie ligamentaire de la cheville.

Recent advances in ultrasound technology and the development of high-resolution ultrasound transducers have enabled detailed depiction of superficial musculoskeletal structures. The advantages of ultrasound include wide availability and dynamic evaluation. The main disadvantage is the uneasiness of performing ultrasonography, especially for foot and ankle. In addition, diagnostic accuracy requires time, knowledge, and meticulous attention to technical parameters. Ultrasound can be used to evaluate joints, ligaments, tendons, plantar fascias, fore-foot diseases and to look for foreign bodies. Power Doppler can be used to evaluate blood flow. The standardisation of the procedure and the production of normal reference images seem to guarantee a global increase in quality of the sonographic examinations. The diagnostic and therapeutic impact is very important regarding the low cost of this technique, especially in ankle sprain.

Epithelioid sarcoma mimicking abscess: review of the MRI appearances.

A case of epithelioid sarcoma involving the soft tissues of the ankle is presented. The tumor was a hemorrhagic, fluid-filled, multiloculated lesion with inflammatory changes in the surrounding planes. Tuberculous abscess was diagnosed on the basis of the clinical picture, ultrasound and MRI findings. Surgical exploration of the ankle mass was carried out because of lack of local healing while the patient's general and pulmonary status improved on antituberculosis treatment. This was an unusual case of epithelioid sarcoma mimicking a multilocular abscess.

MR arthrography of the hip: normal intra-articular structures and common disorders.

This pictorial review illustrates the anatomical features of normal intra-articular components of the hip and their common disorders on MR arthrography. On T1-weighted MR arthrograms, the normal contrast-filled joint cavity shows a homogeneous high signal intensity. Normal acetabular labrum appears as a well-delineated triangle showing a low signal intensity, surrounded by contrast material in the perilabral recess. Intra-articular paramagnetic contrast outlines labral tears, loose bodies, communicating labral cysts and cartilage lesions (traumatic tears, focal defects, degenerative fissures and thinning), and improves their detection. Overall, MR arthrography enables accurate detection and staging of hip intra-articular structure abnormalities.

[Accurate use of imaging in ankle sprain]. / Utilisation rationnelle de l'imagerie lors de l'entorse de la cheville.

Imaging ankle trauma has two goals: to evaluate bone lesions and to appreciate the capsulo-ligamentous tears. Concerning bone lesions, Ottawa's criteria specify the clinical characteristics to perform radiography in the emergency conditions. These recommendations negate the need for nearly 30% of unnecessary radiographs initially performed. Four views of the tarsis have been selected: anteroposterior, lateral, internal rotation, external oblique. Immediate screening of the ligament is very accurately performed with ultrasound, which depicts the number of bundle concerned and the extent of the lesions. This requires an experienced operator and a high quality sonograph. Stress radiography should not be performed anymore as sensitivity is around 50%. Arthrography and CT arthrography are very accurate when performed immediately but are more expensive. This report highlights the complementary role of radiography and ultrasound to evaluate ankle sprain.

[Normal and pathological MRI aspects of the posterolateral corner of the knee]. / Aspects IRM normaux et pathologiques du point d'angle postéro-externe (PAPE) du genou.

The purpose of the study is to compare normal PLC anatomy and its MRI appearance, with the various lesions observed in MRI, from the simple popliteus tendinous contusion to the complete PLC rupture. For this specific work on PLC lesions, we selected 61 examinations among the traumatic knees explored during the last 3 years. Surgical correlation is obtained for the 61 patients. MRI examinations are performed on a 0.5 T. unit with gradient echo T1, T1 and T1 GD-DOTA IV. Normal PLC anatomy is compared to the dissection of 4 anatomic subjects. Normal MRI slices are evaluated with this reference analysis. The principle anatomical structures of the PLC include the lateral collateral ligament, the popliteus tendon, the arcuate ligament, the fabello fibular ligament, the posterolateral condylar capsule, and the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus. Surgical findings confirm PLC lesion for 58 patients with 3 false positive. Diagnosis of these lesions is important because chronical posterolateral laxity is secondary to the destabilisation of lateral condyle. Unrecognised and untreated posterolateral instability may result in failure of ACL reconstruction. When clinical tests are doubtful or complex, or the examination very painful, MRI evaluates completely the traumatic knee and particularly the PLC.

Ultrasono-anatomy of the ankle ligaments.

The ligaments of the ankle are superficial and easily accessible at ultrasonography. Surprisingly, the reliability of this technique has never been proven. With this goal in mind, ten ankles were subjected to a ultrasono-anatomic comparison. The five principle ligamentous fascicles (three on the lateral side and two on the medial side) measured at ultrasonography and the values verified after dissection. This study shows that the ligaments of the ankle are analyzed with ultrasonography and that the measures done are valid and have a precision of 2 mm for the anterior fascicle and the lateral fascicle of the lateral ligamentous plane Due to its simplicity and its low price, ultrasonography appears to be an important method in evaluating the ligaments and the degree of seriousness of ankle sprains.