Evaluation of the association between osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures and psoas major/paraspinal muscle mass and ADC measured on MRI.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate magnetic resonance imaging factors associated with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 457 patients' records. Age, sex, and body mass index were recorded. Two blinded readers measured psoas major and paraspinal muscle areas at the L3 vertebral body level on transverse T2-weighted magnetic resonance images and the mean apparent diffusion coefficient values of the non-fractured vertebrae from Th12 to L5. Inter-reader reliability for continuous variables was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients. RESULTS: We evaluated 210 patients (103 [49.0%] men). The osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures group was older and had lower BMI and smaller psoas major and paraspinal muscle areas than the group without vertebral compression fractures (p < 0.001). The mean apparent diffusion coefficient was weakly correlated with paraspinal muscle area in the osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures group. The intraclass correlation coefficient value was 0.83, and the intraclass correlation coefficients of the psoas major and paraspinal muscles were 0.94 and 0.97, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that decreased psoas major and paraspinal muscle areas and increased mean apparent diffusion coefficient values were significantly associated with the presence of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (all p < 0.05). Psoas major and paraspinal muscle areas showed relatively high predictive accuracy (57%, 61%). CONCLUSION: Psoas major and paraspinal muscle areas at the L3 level and the mean apparent diffusion coefficient value of non-fractured vertebrae from the Th12 to L5 level were associated with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. This may contribute to detecting the potential risk of healthy individuals developing osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.

Signal intensity on MRI after conservative treatment of patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears: Correlation with shoulder pain.

BACKGROUND: High signal intensity (HSI) on T2-weighted or fat-suppressed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) around the shoulder is often observed in patients who have a rotator cuff tear, and is generally recognized as an indicator of shoulder pain, especially pain at night. We hypothesized these HSI volumes are reduced after improvement of symptoms. We sought to compare HSI before and after conservative treatment, and to determine if HSI is associated with the patient's pain status over time. METHODS: We enrolled 55 patients (average age 65 years) into the study. All the patients complained of pain at night (University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) pain score ≤2, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) pain score ≤10) at their initial visits and underwent conservative treatment. MRI was obtained at their initial visit and after improvement of pain when their initial UCLA pain score was ≥6 points or JOA pain score was ≥20 points. The mean time between the MRI examinations was 11.8 months (SD 7.7) (range 2.5-39). HSI was assessed at the location of the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa, glenohumeral joint, subcoracoid bursa, and sheath of the long head of the biceps tendon, and graded. Factors correlating with the improvement of MRI findings were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: HSI had improved in 30 shoulders in all or some of the locations (I-group). There was no change in 25 shoulders for any location or aggravation in one or more locations (N-group). Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that the time from pain improvement until the second MRI was the only independent factor related to the improvement in HSI (p = .045). CONCLUSION: Improvement of shoulder symptoms is not directly associated with MRI findings. Improvement in HSI followed symptom improvement after a delay; the changes varied for each shoulder location.

Differentiating Rheumatoid and Psoriatic Arthritis of the Hand: Multimodality Imaging Characteristics.

Accurate diagnosis and therapeutic intervention at an early stage is paramount for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), which are the two major types of inflammatory arthritis that involve the hand joints. As more disease-specific medications are developed, medication selection according to the correct diagnosis becomes more important. A delay in diagnosis and inappropriate medication selection may result in poor functional prognosis. However, clinical differentiation between RA and PsA can be challenging and may become largely dependent on imaging interpretation results. Although there is substantial overlap in the imaging findings of RA and PsA, there are differences in the affected primary target sites, reflected by the various patterns of joint involvement, and different microanatomic localization of abnormalities within a single joint in each disease. Therefore, appropriate use of various imaging modalities and accurate image interpretation add significant value to the diagnosis and treatment process. The synovio-entheseal complex is an important concept for understanding the imaging features of PsA. The authors review the different features of RA and PsA of the hands seen with various imaging modalities, including radiography, US, MRI, and dual-energy CT, with updates on the contemporary role of imaging in diagnosis and treatment. The radiologist should have sufficient knowledge to interpret imaging findings and understand the strengths and weaknesses of each modality to recommend the appropriate imaging method and differentiate both diseases accurately. ©RSNA, 2020.

Quantitative analysis of therapeutic response in psoriatic arthritis of digital joints with Dual-energy CT iodine maps.

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of quantitative assessment of the therapeutic response in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) by measuring iodine uptake using a Dual-energy CT (DECT) iodine map. The study included 74 symptomatic and 74 matching non-symptomatic joints of 26 consecutive PsA patients who underwent two contrast enhanced DECTs of the hand or foot, pre and post medical interventions. Symptomatic and matched non-symptomatic control joints were scored with the PsA DECT Scoring System (PsADECTS), which was derived by modifying the PsA MRI Scoring System (PsAMRIS), a recently validated scoring system that assesses PsA changes on MRI. Quantified iodine uptake measured using the DECT iodine map was compared to the PsADECTS score. Efficacy of PsA treatment was confirmed by the improved clinical findings. Both PsADECTS and iodine uptake also showed significant improvement after treatment (Wilcoxon signed-rank test: z = 7.38, p < 0.005; z = 6.20, p < 0.005, respectively). The treatment effects of PsADECTS score and iodine uptake showed a good correlation with each other (Spearman's ρ = 0.58 p < 0.005). Inter-reader agreement for PsADECTS score and iodine uptake were either moderate or good. In conclusion, our study showed that the DECT iodine map is a valid tool for quantitative assessment of the therapeutic response of PsA.

[A case report-neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy with combination of S-1 and gemcitabine in a patient with locally advanced pancreatic cancer].

A 63-year-old woman was pointed out pancreatic tumor by a follow up CT after operation for the corpus uteri cancer. She was diagnosed as having locally advanced pancreatic cancer which involved the superior mesenteric vein (SMV). She was treated with radiation (1.8 Gyx28 Fr) and the combination chemotherapy of S-1 plus gemcitabine (S-1: 80 mg/m2/dayx28 days, gemcitabine 200 mg/m2/dayx6 fr, 1 fr a week). Indeed, grade 3 leukopenia and neutropenia were occurred by this treatment, she could be treated on schedule. Four weeks later from completion date, a reduction of the tumor size and an improvement of involving SMV were observed by diagnostic imaging. Subsequently, pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy (PpPD) with a partial resection of SMV and intraoperative radiation were undergone. She was discharged 19 days after the operation without any surgical complications, and is undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy.

Digestive Tract Complications of Renal Cryoablation.

We report a case each of duodenorenal and colorenal fistula that arose after computed tomography-guided percutaneous cryoablation (PCA) for renal cell carcinoma and use imaging and endoscopic findings to analyze their causes and mechanisms. Both complications occurred though the edge of the iceball did not touch the intestinal wall, and patients' symptoms and fistula formation occurred several days after the PCA procedure. Based on imaging and endoscopy findings, we suspected the colorenal fistula resulted from bowel injury caused by ischemia from the occlusion of small vessels at the procedure's low temperature. Both cases were resolved conservatively without surgical intervention.

A successful case of liver biopsy via the right femoral vein using the Quick-Core biopsy needle.

A 35-year-old male with ascites and coagulopathy underwent transjugular liver biopsy (TJLB) for severe hepatic dysfunction. However, the acute angle of the inferior vena cava and hepatic veins (HVs) prevented insertion of a 14-gauge inner stiffening metallic cannula into the HV. He then underwent successful liver biopsy by right femoral vein access (transfemoral liver biopsy) using a TJLB device without complications and was pathologically diagnosed with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.