Femoropatellar Joint Reaction Detected During a 4486 KM Ultramarathon with Mobile MRI.

Almost nothing is known about the condition of the knee joints of multistage ultra-marathon (MSUM) runner. This is first image-based investigation of the femoropatellar joint (FPJ) using a mobile 1.5T MRI accompanying the MSUM TransEurope Foot-Race (TEFR) 64 stages over 4486 km. Twenty-two (20 male) subjects got a knee MRI-protocol at defined measurement intervals during TEFR: T2*-mapping (FLASH T2*-GRE), TIRM, and fat saturated PD -sequence. In the FPJ 12 different regions were evaluated regarding cartilage T2* and thickness changes and cartilage lesions in course of TEFR and a test on possible compounding factors (running burden, BMI, age) was done if being appropriate. No significant changes in cartilage thickness- and T2*-values were found during TEFR. In 8 runners, at least one single cartilage lesion (Grade 2-3) was found at baseline, but no significant race-related adjacent T2*-changes or progress of the defects could be detected. Analyses on compounding factors were negative. In knees with MPP (5) significantly lower adjacent T2*-values were found. The extreme running burden of a MSUM seems not to have a relevant negative influence on the FPJ tissues, even if cartilage lesions are present.

Beneficial clinical effects but limited tissue quality following osteochondral repair with a cell-free multilayered nano-composite scaffold in the talus.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of larger osteochondral lesions of the talus remains an operative challenge. In addition to micro fracturing and osteochondral transplantation one promising strategy could be the operative repair with a cell-free multilayered nano-composite scaffold with the potential to regenerate bone and cartilage in one treatment. METHODS: In this prospective case series four consecutive patients who suffered from a single osteochondral lesion (≥1.5cm2) on the medial talus were enrolled. The repair potential of the implant was assessed using MRI based biochemical, compositional MR sequences (T2 mapping) as well as semi-quantitative morphological analyses (MOCART score) at 18 months follow-up after the surgery. The clinical outcome was determined at 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24 months follow-up by using the Ankle Disability Index and the AOFAS score. RESULTS: At 18 months after the surgery, the clinical outcome was significantly improved compared to the preoperative baseline. Global T2 relaxation times of the repair tissue were significantly increased compared to the healthy control cartilage. CONCLUSIONS: Osteochondral repair with a cell-free, biomimetic scaffold provides good clinical, short-term results. However, biochemical MR imaging provides strong evidence for limited repair tissue quality at 18 months after the implantation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Does T2 mapping of the posterior annulus fibrosus indicate the presence of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation? A 3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance study.

PURPOSE: Indicating lumbar disc herniation via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2 mapping in the posterior annulus fibrosus (AF). METHODS: Sagittal T2 maps of 313 lumbar discs of 64 patients with low back pain were acquired at 3.0 Tesla (3T). The discs were rated according to disc herniation and bulging. Region of interest (ROI) analysis was performed on median, sagittal T2 maps. T2 values of the AF, in the most posterior 10% (PAF-10) and 20% of the disc (PAF-20), were compared. RESULTS: A significant increase in the T2 values of discs with herniations affecting the imaged area, compared to bulging discs and discs with lateral herniation, was shown in the PAF-10, where no association to the NP was apparent. The PAF-20 exhibited a moderate correlation to the nucleus pulposus (NP). CONCLUSIONS: High T2 values in the PAF-10 suggest the presence of disc herniation (DH). The results indicate that T2 values in the PAF-20 correspond more to changes in the NP.

Successful osteoconduction but limited cartilage tissue quality following osteochondral repair by a cell-free multilayered nano-composite scaffold at the knee.

INTRODUCTION: The treatment of larger osteochondral lesions in the knee is still a clinical challenge. One promising strategy to overcome this problem could be surgical repair by using a cell-free multilayered nano-composite scaffold. METHOD: In this prospective cohort study eight consecutive patients which suffered from a single osteochondral lesion (≥1.5 cm(2)) on the femoral condyle were enrolled. The repair potential of the implant was assessed by using MRI based biochemical MR sequences (T2 mapping) as well as semi-quantitative morphological analyses (MOCART score) at 18 months after the surgery. The clinical outcome was determined at six, 12, 18, and 24 month follow ups by using IKDC, Tegner-Lysholm, and Cincinnati knee scores. RESULTS: Seven out of eight patients showed a complete integration of the scaffold into the border zone and five out of eight patients excellent or good subchondral ossification of the implant at 18 months following implantation. The surface of the repair tissue was found to be intact in all eight patients. T2 mapping data and the zonal T2 index significantly differed in the repair tissue compared to the healthy control cartilage (P < 0.001) which indicates a limited quality of the repair cartilage. The clinical outcome scores consistently improved during the follow up period without reaching statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Osteochondral repair by implanting the MaioRegen® scaffold provides a successful osteoconduction and filling of the cartilage defect. However there is evidence for a limited repair cartilage tissue quality at 18 months after the surgery.

The impact of the parent-physician relationship on parental vaccine safety perceptions.

In times of declining immunization rates among children in many countries and an increasing threat of potentially vaccine-preventable diseases, there is a strong need for new strategies to improve trust in vaccinations and acceptance of recommendations, especially in parents of infants and children. A survey to evaluate vaccination acceptance has been conducted in Vienna, Austria, based on a US CDC survey, applying a cross-sectional approach with districts and public as well as private kindergartens and preschools as selection base. The survey aimed to investigate the impact of parent satisfaction with, and overall trust in the physician on vaccine acceptance, as well as the impact of quality and completeness of safety information delivered during the vaccination consultation. Overall 1101 parents, predominantly (84.2%) mothers, participated in the survey. The majority (82.7%) of participants had a generally positive view concerning childhood vaccination. However, 25.1% refused at least one of the recommended vaccinations. In multivariate analysis, confidence in vaccinations was significantly influenced by education (lower confidence at higher levels of education), gender (higher confidence in females), and positively associated with trust in physician, smooth vaccination procedure, and information about vaccine risks. Similar results were obtained for compliance with recommended vaccinations with information about vaccine benefits being the most important predictor. This large survey indicates an important role of the physician in communicating balanced information about benefits and risks associated with childhood vaccinations. A trustworthy parent-physician relationship is crucial for vaccination decisions of parents.

Sodium magnetic resonance imaging of ankle joint in cadaver specimens, volunteers, and patients after different cartilage repair techniques at 7 T: initial results.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of cartilage repair techniques such as microfracture (MFX) or matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT) is to produce repair tissue (RT) with sufficient glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content. Sodium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a direct and noninvasive evaluation of the GAG content in native cartilage and RT. In the femoral cartilage, this method was able to distinguish between RTs produced by MFX and MACT having different GAG contents. However, it needs to be clarified whether sodium MRI can be useful for evaluating RT in thin ankle cartilage. Thus, the aims of this 7-T study were (1) to validate our sodium MRI protocol in cadaver ankle samples, (2) to evaluate the sodium corrected signal intensities (cSI) in cartilage of volunteers, (3) and to compare sodium values in RT between patients after MFX and MACT treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five human cadaver ankle samples as well as ankles of 9 asymptomatic volunteers, 6 MFX patients and 6 MACT patients were measured in this 7-T study. Sodium values from the ankle samples were compared with histochemically evaluated GAG content. In the volunteers, sodium cSI values were calculated in the cartilages of ankle and subtalar joint. In the patients, sodium cSI in RT and reference cartilage were measured, morphological appearance of RT was evaluated using the magnetic resonance observation of cartilage repair tissue (MOCART) scoring system, and clinical outcome before and after surgery was assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score and Modified Cincinnati Knee Scale. All regions of interest were defined on morphological images and subsequently transferred to the corresponding sodium images. Analysis of variance, t tests, and Pearson correlation coefficients were evaluated. RESULTS: In the patients, significantly lower sodium cSI values were found in RT than in reference cartilage for the MFX (P = 0.007) and MACT patients (P = 0.008). Sodium cSI and MOCART scores in RT did not differ between the MFX and MACT patients (P = 0.185). No significant difference in sodium cSI was found between reference cartilage of the volunteers and the patients (P = 0.355). The patients showed significantly higher American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society and Modified Cincinnati scores after treatment than they did before treatment. In the volunteers, sodium cSI was significantly higher in the tibial cartilage than in the talar cartilage of ankle joint (P = 0.002) and in the talar cartilage than in the calcaneal cartilage of subtalar joint (P < 0.001). Data from the cadaver ankle samples showed a strong linear relationship between the sodium values and the histochemically determined GAG content (r = 0.800; P < 0.001; R = 0.639). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the feasibility of in vivo quantification of sodium cSI, which can be used for GAG content evaluation in thin cartilages of ankle and subtalar joints at 7 T. A strong correlation observed between the histochemically evaluated GAG content and the sodium values proved the sufficient sensitivity of sodium MRI to changes in the GAG content of cartilages in the ankle. Both MFX and MACT produced RT with lower sodium cSI and, thus, of lower quality compared with reference cartilage in the patients or in the volunteers. Our results suggest that MFX and MACT produce RT with similar GAG content and similar morphological appearance in patients with similar surgery outcome. Sodium MRI at 7 T allows a quantitative evaluation of RT quality in the ankle and may thus be useful in the noninvasive assessment of new cartilage repair procedures.

Treatment of Full-Thickness Chondral Defects With Hyalograft C in the Knee: Long-term Results.

BACKGROUND: Matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT) has become an established articular cartilage repair technique. It provides good short-term and midterm results; however, long-term results are lacking. PURPOSE: To prospectively assess the clinical outcome after MACT in the knee to report long-term results. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: Fifty-three subjects (females/males, 22/31; mean age, 32 ± 12 years) were treated between 2000 and 2006 with a hyaluronan-based MACT product and were followed prospectively. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 24.5 ± 3.8 kg/m(2) and the mean defect size was 4.4 ± 1.9 cm(2). Fifty patients had single defects and 3 had multiple defects (41 medial femoral condyle, 6 lateral femoral condyle, 2 patella, 1 tibia). Two patients had 2 defects (medial femoral condyle [MFC]/lateral femoral condyle and tibial/MFC), and in 1 case, multiple defects on the MFC were treated. The patients were stratified into 23 "simple," 22 "complex," and 8 "salvage" cases. Instability or malalignment was treated before or at the time of graft implantation. For 6 patients with small defects (<2 cm(2)), microfracturing was used as first-line treatment before MACT. Clinical assessment was performed once a year with the subjective and objective International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores, Lysholm score, and a modified Cincinnati Knee Rating System. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 9.07 ± 2.9 years (range, 5-12 years). Treatment failure occurred in 12 of 53 cases (22.6%) an average of 2.99 ± 1.40 years after surgery. There was 1 failure (4.3%) among the simple cases, 4 failures (18.2%) in complex cases, and 7 failures (87.5%) in salvage cases. Statistically significant increases were observed in all scores at all time points compared with presurgery levels (P < .05). The subjective IKDC score improved from median 40.4 preoperatively to 74.7 at 10-year follow-up (n = 13 patients; P < .05). CONCLUSION: MACT is an excellent surgical therapy for full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee, with good long-term results for simple defects. However, it should not be used in salvage cases.

Cartilage repair of the knee with Hyalograft C:® magnetic resonance imaging assessment of the glycosaminoglycan content at midterm.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the stability of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content in the long term after matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT) with Hyalograft C in the knee over a follow-up period of one year. METHODS: In this cross-sectional evaluation, 11 patients after MACT of the knee consented to delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) measurements. The mean post-operative interval before the first MR examination was 40.6 ± 22.0 months, and the second MR examination was carried out after another 12 months. The Lysholm score was assessed for clinical evaluation. Quantitative T1 measurements after intravenous negatively charged MR contrast agent administration were performed. Global post-contrast T1 of the reference cartilage and the repair tissue and a relative post-contrast T1 value were calculated. RESULTS: The Lysholm score improved significantly from 59.8 ± 12.9 at baseline to 86.1 ± 15.7 at the second visit (p < 0.01). The mean global T1 of the repair tissue (1st visit 581.3 ± 126.4 ms; 2nd visit 684.1 ± 169.9 ms; p = 0.104) and the mean relative T1 value showed stable results over one year (1st visit 0.81 ± 0.28; 2nd visit 0.76 ± 0.32; p = 0.4). CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated stable glycosaminoglycan content of the repair tissue after MACT at midterm.