Effect of sarcopenia on mortality in acute stroke patients receiving endovascular treatment.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effect of sarcopenia on mortality in patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by anterior circulation large artery occlusion who underwent endovascular treatment. METHODS: Acute ischemic stroke patients (n = 194) treated with mechanical thrombectomy who underwent chest computed tomography between 2019 and 2022 (median age, 69 [interquartile range: 61-77], 95 females, 99 males) were evaluated retrospectively. The cross-sectional area and density of the pectoralis muscle [pectoralis muscle area (PMA) and pectoralis muscle density (PMD)] at the level of the aortic arch and the erector spinae muscle at the T12 level [erector spinae muscle area (ESMA) and erector spinae muscle density (ESMD)] were measured. The association between skeletal muscle parameters and mortality outcomes was investigated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and multivariable logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The 90-day mortality rate was 32% in the study population (n = 62). The ROC analysis revealed that ESMD [area under the curve (AUC): 0.765] and PMD (AUC: 0.759) performed best in the prediction of 90-day mortality. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, PMD [odds ratio (OR): 0.896; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.846-0.948; p < 0.001], ESMA (OR: 0.929; 95% CI: 0.878-0.983; p = 0.011), and ESMD (OR: 0.947; 95% CI: 0.913-0.983; p = 0.004), but not PMA, were independent risk factors for 90-day mortality. CONCLUSION: PMD, ESMA, and ESMD may be risk factors for 90-day mortality after mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke.

Low local curvature index and history of previous surgery are risk factors for revision in focal metallic inlay implants.

BACKGROUND: Focal chondral defects are debilitating lesions with poor healing potential. Focal metallic inlay implants were developed as a salvage procedure, whose reoperation causes and risk factors for revision are still debatable. The aim of this study is to analyze the local subchondral curvature matching of focal metallic inlay implants and its effects on survival and clinical results. METHODS: Patients operated with a knee focal metallic inlay resurfacing implant between 2014 and 2017 were eligible. Surgery was indicated for painful, focal, full-thickness cartilage lesions that had failed alternative treatments. Inclusion criteria were patients treated for a lesion ≤ 5 cm2 in the femoral condyle, aged 40-65 years, with complete surgical records and a knee CT scan. The curvature index (Kindex) was calculated as the ratio of the mean curvature of the implant (K1) to the mean curvature of the subchondral bone (K2). RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients were included, of which 60.9% were female. Mean age was 54.8 ± 6.0. Seven patients (10.1%) underwent revision surgery. When adjusted for age and sex, lesion size was not significantly correlated to revision in a multivariate regression model, while previous surgery and smaller K index were. A positive history for previous surgery was significantly correlated with worse clinical outcomes in surviving patients. CONCLUSION: A positive history of previous knee surgery and a low local curvature index are risk factors for revision after focal metallic inlay implant resurfacing. Patients with a history of knee surgery should be counseled on the advantages and disadvantages before undergoing a focal resurfacing procedure.

Bone marrow lesions of the femoral head: can radiomics distinguish whether it is reversible?

Purpose: Contrary to the self-limiting nature of reversible bone marrow lesions, irreversible bone marrow lesions require early surgical intervention to prevent further morbidity. Thus, early discrimination of irreversible pathology is necessitated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of radiomics and machine learning regarding this topic. Material and methods: A database was scanned for patients who had undergone MRI of the hip for differential diagnosis of bone marrow lesions and had had follow-up images acquired within 8 weeks after the first imaging. Images that showed resolution of oedema were included in the reversible group. The remainders that showed progression into characteristic signs of osteonecrosis were included in the irreversible group. Radiomics was performed on the first MR images, calculating first- and second-order parameters. Support vector machine and random forest classifiers were performed using these parameters. Results: Thirty-seven patients (seventeen osteonecrosis) were included. A total of 185 ROIs were segmented. Fortyseven parameters were accepted as classifiers with an area under the curve value ranging from 0.586 to 0.718. Support vector machine yielded a sensitivity of 91.3% and a specificity of 85.1%. Random forest classifier yielded a sensitivity of 84.8% and a specificity of 76.7%. Area under curves were 0.921 for support vector machine and 0.892 for random forest classifier. Conclusions: Radiomics analysis could prove useful for discrimination of reversible and irreversible bone marrow lesions before the irreversible changes occur, which could prevent morbidities of osteonecrosis by guiding the decisionmaking process for management.

Radiomic analysis of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging for the prediction of pituitary adenoma consistency.

BACKGROUND: The consistency of pituitary adenomas affects the course of surgical treatment. PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic capabilities of radiomics based on T1-weighted (T1W) and T2-weighted (T2W) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in conjunction with two machine-learning (ML) techniques (support vector machine [SVM] and random forest classifier [RFC]) for assessing the consistency of pituitary adenomas. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The institutional database was retrospectively scanned for patients who underwent surgical excision of pituitary adenomas. Surgical notes were accepted as a reference for the adenoma consistency. Radiomics analysis was performed on preoperative coronal 3.0T T1W and T2W images. First- and second-order parameters were calculated. Inter-observer reproducibility was assessed with Spearman's Correlation (ρ) and intra-observer reproducibility was evaluated with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was used for dimensionality reduction. SVM and RFC were used as ML methods. RESULTS: A total of 52 patients who produced 206 regions of interest (ROIs) were included. Twenty adenomas that produced 88 ROIs had firm consistency. There was both inter-observer and intra-observer reproducibility. Ten parameters that were based on T2W images with high discriminative power and without correlation were chosen by LASSO. The diagnostic performance of SVM and RFC was as follows: sensitivity = 95.580% and 92.950%, specificity = 83.670% and 88.420%, area under the curve = 0.956 and 0.904, respectively. CONCLUSION: Radiomics analysis based on T2W MRI combined with various ML techniques, such as SVM and RFC, can provide preoperative information regarding pituitary adenoma consistency with high diagnostic accuracy.

The Co-Use of Stromal Vascular Fraction and Bone Marrow Concentrate for Tendon Healing.

OBJECTIVE: The Achilles tendon is the most frequently injured tendon in the human body, despite being the strongest. Many conventional treatments including medication, surgical interventions, and physical therapy are available, however, the desired results are often not achieved. Stromal vascular fraction (SVF) and bone marrow concentrate (BMC) are two additional cellular treatment options. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of SVF and BMC, used as a combination, for the treatment of Achilles tendon injuries. METHODS: Five male New Zealand rabbits were used for each of the 6 study groups. A 3-mm of SVF and BMC were injected on the Achilles tendons at certain ratios. The histological results were classified by the Movin grading system for tendon healing. The collagen type-I and type-III structures in the tendons were examined by immunohistochemical evaluation. The expressions of tendon-specific genes were also examined by using the RT-PCR method to analyze tendon healing. RESULTS: Histological and immunohistochemical evaluation indicated that tendons receiving the SVF and BMAC mixture performed better than control and individual groups (p < 0.05). Moreover, RT-PCR evaluation showed that mixture-receiving groups were the closest similar to the uninjured group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The combined use of BMC and SVF improved Achilles tendon healing when compared to the individual use of each mixture.

Discrimination of lipoma from atypical lipomatous tumor/well-differentiated liposarcoma using magnetic resonance imaging radiomics combined with machine learning.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic capability of radiomics in distinguishing lipoma and Atypic Lipomatous Tumors/Well-Differentiated Liposarcomas (ALT/WDL) with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with a histopathologic diagnosis of lipoma (n = 45) and ALT/WDL (n = 20), who had undergone pre-surgery or pre-biopsy MRI, were enrolled. The MDM2 amplification was accepted as gold-standard test. The T1-weighted turbo spin echo images were used for radiomics analysis. Utility of a predefined standardized imaging protocol and a single type of 1.5 T scanner were sought as inclusion criteria. Radiomics parameters that show a certain level of reproducibility were included in the study and supplied to Support Vector Machine (SVM) as a machine learning method. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in terms of gender, location and age between the lipoma and ALT/WDL groups. Sixty-five parameters were accepted as reproducible. Fifty-seven parameters were able to distinguish the two groups significantly (AUC range 0.564-0.902). Diagnostic performance of the SVM was one of the highest among literature findings: sensitivity = 96.8% (95% CI 94.03-98.39%), specificity = 93.72% (95% CI 86.36-97.73%) and AUC = 0.987 (95% CI 0.972-0.999). CONCLUSION: Although radiomics has been proven to be useful in previous literature regarding discrimination of lipomas and ALT/WDLs, we found that its accuracy could further be improved with utility of standardized hardware, imaging protocols and incorporation of machine learning methods.

Radiological Evaluation of Femoral Intercondylar Notch and Tibial Intercondylar Eminence Morphometries in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Pathologies Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

PURPOSE: To determine the relationship between femoral-tibial morphometries and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) pathologies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 455 patients (211 females and 244 males) who underwent knee MRI with suspected ACL pathology. Imaging findings were classified as normal ACL (n = 119), degeneration of the ACL (n = 116), partial ACL tear (n = 103), and complete ACL tear (n = 117). In all groups, the femoral intercondylar notch width (INW), intercondylar distance (CD), notch width index (NWI), and intercondylar notch angle (INA), the angles between the tibial plateau and tibial spines (MPA and LPA), intercondylar eminence peak angle (IEA), and tibial slope angles (MSA and LSA) were measured. RESULTS: Femoral INW and NWI were significantly lower in patients with ACL pathology (p < 0.05). They were also lower in patients with tear compared to degeneration. The INA was significantly smaller in patients with ACL pathology (p < 0.001) and the significance continued in both genders. The LSA was only increased in patients with complete tear (p < 0.01) and the difference seems existing in both genders. It was also found that the LPA and IEA demonstrated significant increases in patients with ACL pathology (p < 0.01 and < 0.05, respectively) and the significance in LPA continued in both genders. Significant differences between males and females were found for the INW and CD in all 4 groups (p < 0.001). In addition, the INA, LPA and LSA were independent predictors in determining the risk of ACL pathology. CONCLUSION: The ACL pathologies are associated with femoral-tibial morphometries and these associations exist in both genders. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43465-021-00490-7.

Clinical and radiological comparison of bioactive glass and poly-L-lactic acid/hydroxyapatite bioabsorbable interference screws for tibial graft fixation in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Ligament reconstruction is still the main treatment modality for patients with a complete ligament rupture. The semitendinosus tendon, alone quadrupled or double folded and combined with the gracilis tendon, is still the most frequently used autologous graft for a reconstructive procedure. Absorbable interference screw usage has gained popularity in the past decade because they create less artifacts during MR imaging and tend to osteointegrate over the years, arguably leading to a more anatomic fixation. The purpose of this study was to compare the 5-year radiological and clinical results of two different tibial graft fixation screws. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that bioabsorbable interference screws made of bioactive glass would lead to higher rates of osteointegration, better overall clinical results, less foreign body reaction rates and less tibial tunnel widening when compared to the poly-L-lactic acid/hydroxyapatite (PLLA-HA) screws. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients treated with an anatomic single bundle ACL reconstruction between June 2015 and July 2016 at our institution were included in the study. The tibial graft was fixed with a bioactive glass screw in 24, and with a PLLA-HA in 27 patients. Tibial tunnel widening, foreign body reaction, osteointegration and resorption rates were evaluated and compared on a magnetic resonance scan at a minimum of 5 year postoperatively. Overall clinical results and side-to-side difference on KT-1000 were also analyzed in-between groups. RESULTS: Tibial tunnel widening was similar for both groups. Foreign body reaction, while not statistically significant, was less aggressive when bioactive glass screws were used. Osteointegration and resorption rates of the bioactive glass screws were significantly higher than the PLLA-HA group (p=0.000). While all patients showed an overall improvement on postoperative scores (p=0.000), patients with a bioactive glass interference screw had statistically higher translational stability with KT-1000, compared to the poly-L-lactic acid/hydroxyapatite group (p=0.001). DISCUSSION: At a minimum of 5 years, compared to conventional PLLA-HA interference screws, 45S5 bioactive glass screw provide higher resorption rates, are more highly biodegradable and provide overall good clinical results. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

The role of real-time elastosonography in the diagnosis of quadriceps fat pad edema.

BACKGROUND: Quadriceps fat pad edema (QFPE) is one of the causes of anterior knee pain. Real-time elastosonography (RTE) has been increasingly used in musculoskeletal disorders. PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of RTE in the diagnosis of QFPE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 23 patients with QFPE on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (study group) were prospectively compared with 29 patients with normal MRI findings (control group) using RTE. On MRI, the thickness of the quadriceps fat pad (QFP), and on RTE, strain ratio (SR) of QFP were measured and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The study group contained 23 patients (12 men, 11 women; mean age = 41.6 ± 7.0 years) and the control group contained 29 patients (14 men, 15 women; mean age = 42.3 ± 6.1 years). No significant differences were found in terms of mean age and sex between the two groups (P = 0.70, P = 0.78, respectively). The median thicknesses of the QFPs were 8.10 mm and 6.75 mm in the study and control groups, respectively (P < 0.001). The median SR values of the study group and control group were found to be 63.20 and 6.24, respectively. The SR values were significantly higher in patients with QFPE (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: RTE may be an effective imaging method for evaluating QFPE.

Which design tolerates rotational mismatch better in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: fixed or mobile bearing?

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty is an effective method for the treatment of medial compartment osteoarthritis. However, appropriate surgical tech- nique and optimum implant positioning are crucial for a satisfactory outcome. This study aimed to demonstrate the relation between the clinical scores and the alignment of the components in UKA. A total of 182 patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis and treated by UKA between January 2012 and January 2017 were enrolled in this study. Computed tomography (CT) was used to measure the rotation of components. Patients were divided into two groups according to the insert design. These groups were divided into three subgroups according to the angle of the tibia relative to the femur (TFRA) (A): TFRA 0° to 5° either internal or external rotation; (B): TFRA >5° internal rotation, and (C): TFRA >5° external rotation. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of age, body mass index (BMI) and follow-up period. KSS scores increased as the tibial component rotation (TCR) external rotation increased, but there was no correlation for WOMAC score. (P: 0,039 r: 0,207; P:0,347 r:0,095, respectively) Post-operative KSS and WOMAC scores decreased as TFRA external rotation was increased. (p: 0,001; p:0,001, respectively) No correlation has been observed between femoral component rotation (FCR) internal rotation and post-operative KSS and WOMAC scores. (p: 0,261; p: 0,502, respectively) Any mismatch between the components is better tolerated by mobile-bearing designs compared to fixed-bearing designs. Orthopedic surgeons should take care of rotational mismatch of components, not only the axial alignment of the components.

The incidence of congenital lumbosacral malformations in young male Turkish military school candidates population.

BACKGROUND: During routine radiological examinations of the lumbar spine, congenital anomalies such as lumbosacral transition vertebra and scoliosis are frequently encountered in asymptomatic patients. They are not always associated with pathologies but have the potential to cause back pain in later times. The aim of this study is to analyze the prevalence of lumbar vertebral abnormalities in a group of young military school candidates who had no prior complaints. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the direct radiographs of asymptomatic young men aged between 17 and 22 applying between July 2018 and August 2018, for the routine check-up before becoming military school students. Exclusion criteria were prior history of low back pain for any reason, sciatica, neurogenic claudication, history of prior spinal surgery and history of a concomitant rheumatologic disease. All radiographs were evaluated for total lumbar vertebra number, morphology, presence of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTV), spina bifida occulta (SBO) and presence of lumbar and/or lumbar-elongated scoliosis. RESULTS: All 3132 patients were male and mean age was 18.37. Out of them, 887 (28.3%) had a congenital lumbo-sacral anomaly that they were not aware of. The most common anomaly we detected was SBO, in 16.2% of the cases followed by LSTV with 12.9% of the cases. Some of the applicants had more than one anomaly in their X-rays. CONCLUSION: Correct identification of a lumbar abnormalities is of great importance, especially before surgical procedures. It is a known fact that most wrong-level spine surgery occurs in patients with variant spine anatomy, including LSTV. Meticulous screening and analyses should be performed to all patients scheduled for spinal surgery in order to avoid peri-operative complications and unwanted final results.

CT evaluation for sarcopenia involving the psoas and paravertebral muscles in patients with total hip arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT) has been validated in diagnosing sarcopenia in various clinical conditions. AIM: To evaluate the core abdominal muscles in terms of sarcopenia in patients with total hip arthroplasty (THA) with and without complication. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients with a pelvic CT revealed 145 consecutive patients with THA. Also, 118 consecutive cases with normal CT scans constituted the control group. The area and density measurements of bilateral psoas (PSA, psoas area; PSD, psoas density) and paravertebral (PVA, paravertebral area; PVD, paravertebral density) muscles were performed at the level of L3 or L4 vertebrae regardless of prosthesis side. All measurements were evaluated in normal cases and in patients with THA, as well as in patients with complicated prostheses. RESULTS: In the whole population and subgroup of patients with bilateral THA, bilateral PSA, PSD, and PVD but not the PVA were lower in patients with THA compared to controls (all p < 0.01). In patients with unilateral prostheses, ipsilateral PSA, PSD, and bilateral PVD but not the PVA were lower compared to controls (all p < 0.01). Furthermore, in patients with unilateral prostheses with complication, only ipsilateral PSD was lower compared to patients with unilateral prostheses without complication (all p < 0.05) and in patients with bilateral prostheses with complication, bilateral PSA, PSD, and PVD but not the PVA were lower compared to patients with bilateral prostheses without complication (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia indicated by the area and density measurements of core abdominal muscles can be associated with the presence and complication of hip prostheses.

Plain Radiographs Can Safely Be Used to Measure and Follow Up on Tibial Component Alignment in Unicondylar Knee Replacement: A Correlation Study With CT Scans.

Background and objective Unicondylar knee replacement (UKR) is one of the most frequently performed arthroplastic operations worldwide. Migration and subsidence regarding the tibial component of UKR is a well-known phenomenon. In this study, we aimed to analyze whether plain radiographs are a reliable means to measure the true coronal and sagittal alignment of the UKR's tibial component. Methods Patients undergoing a UKR procedure at our center between December 2020 and March 2011 were eligible for this study. Inclusion criteria were as follows: the presence of well-aligned standard and reproducible anteroposterior and lateral X-rays taken one week before or after a low-radiation artifact-reduced CT scan. Sixty-six knees were included in the study. Coronal and sagittal alignment of the tibial component was measured in a standard manner by two observers on both X-rays and CT scans. A correlation analysis was performed, and the margin of error was established. Results Intra-observer reliability was high among the two observers whether for X-ray or CT scan measurements [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC): >0.900]. On the other hand, coronal plane measurements had lower inter-observer ICC values on both X-rays and CT scans while reliability on the sagittal plane was higher. There was a high correlation between radiographic measurements on X-rays and CT scans on both planes. Conclusion Even though the measurements on plain radiographs were slightly different from the ones obtained from CT scans, the correlation between them was very strong. Caution should be exercised when measuring the coronal alignment of the tibial implant on X-rays since it is more frequently affected by rotational misalignment.

Does Malrotation After Minimally Invasive Plate Osteosynthesis Treatment of Distal Tibia Metaphyseal Fractures Effect the Functional Results of the Ankle and Knee Joints?

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether rotational malalignment of tibia, after fracture management with minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis technique (MIPO), leads to impaired results in knee and ankle joint functional scores. DESIGN: Prospectively collected data were retrospectively analyzed for this study. SETTING: Level III academic trauma center. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-five consecutive patients who applied between October 2010 and January 2014 with a unilateral distal tibia fracture and had full bone union at their last visit were analyzed. Patients were excluded if they had a pathologic fracture, Gustilo-Anderson type II or III open fracture, additional ligamentous trauma, were pregnant, or had any deformity. A total of 27 patients were accepted into the study. INTERVENTION: All patients were treated with a MIPO technique after a mean of 2.8 days. The fibular fracture, when present, was fixed first. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The main outcome of this study was the relation between tibial malrotation after a MIPO procedure, and Lower Extremity Functional Scale, American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society, KOOS scores, and range of motions of adjacent joints. RESULTS: Fourteen patients (51.8%) had a rotation higher than 10 degrees. The mean malrotation angle was 14.6 degrees. Concomitant fibular fractures were present in 13 patients, which did not seem to have a significant influence on malrotation. There was no significant difference between groups regarding functional scores and range of motions of the knee and ankle joints. CONCLUSIONS: Despite high rates of malrotation after tibial metaphyseal-diaphyseal fractures treated with MIPO technique, this finding does not seem to have a significantly negative effect on knee and ankle joint functions. Meticulous intraoperative evaluation, through a range of different techniques, should be performed to avoid malrotation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Medial Meniscus Scaffold Implantation in Combination with Concentrated Bone Marrow Aspirate Injection: Minimum 3-Year Follow-up.

The objective of this study is to show the short-term clinical and radiological outcomes of concentrated bone marrow aspirate (CBMA) injection administered in combination with medial meniscus scaffold implantation. Twenty-three patients who received intra-articular CBMA injection in combination with polyurethane-based medial meniscus scaffold implantation were evaluated within the scope of this study. The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) questionnaire and the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) were used to evaluate the results, and the visual analog scale was used to assess the pain scores. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained in the preoperative period and at postoperative months 1, 12, 24, and 36 to assess the scaffold position as well as chondral degeneration/damage in a comparative manner. MRI assessment was performed by using the modified Outerbridge scale for cartilage and the Genovese scoring system for the meniscal implant. Twenty-three patients who were included in the study were evaluated for a mean follow-up period of 38.3 months. Patients exhibited statistically significant improvement according to all scoring data from the preoperative period until the follow-up period. The mean postoperative extrusion at year 3 was 2.39 mm (distribution 2.30-2.56 mm). There was no significant difference in the distribution of the degree of chondral damage between the preoperative and 3-year follow-up periods. Four patients did not show any improvement nor had lower scores according to the assessment. Medial meniscus scaffold implantation combined with intra-articular CBMA injection resulted in a significant improvement in all functions and pain scores as well as a statistically significant clinical improvement in IKDC and KOOS values in the short-term follow-up. The Level of evidence for this study is IV.

Autologous stem cell-derived chondrocyte implantation with bio-targeted microspheres for the treatment of osteochondral defects.

BACKGROUND: Chondral injury is a common problem around the world. Currently, there are several treatment strategies for these types of injuries. The possible complications and problems associated with conventional techniques lead us to investigate a minimally invasive and biotechnological alternative treatment. Combining tissue-engineering and microencapsulation technologies provide new direction for the development of biotechnological solutions. The aim of this study is to develop a minimal invasive tissue-engineering approach, using bio-targeted microspheres including autologous cells, for the treatment of the cartilage lesions. METHOD: In this study, a total of 28 sheeps of Akkaraman breed were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: control (group 1), microfracture (group 2), scaffold (group 3), and microsphere (group 4). Microspheres and scaffold group animals underwent adipose tissue collection prior to the treatment surgery. Mesenchymal cells collected from adipose tissue were differentiated into chondrocytes and encapsulated with scaffolds and microspheres. Osteochondral damage was conducted in the right knee joint of the sheep to create an animal model and all animals treated according to study groups. RESULTS: Both macroscopic and radiologic examination showed that groups 3 and 4 have resulted better compared to the control and microfracture groups. Moreover, histologic assessments indicate hyaline-like cartilage formations in groups 3 and 4. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we believe that the bio-targeted microspheres can be a more effective, easier, and safer approach for cartilage tissue engineering compared to previous alternatives.

Sonoelastography of the knee joint.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is generally the preferred method for assessing lesions of the knee cartilage and subchondral bone. There have been a few cartilage imaging studies using real-time elastosonography (RTE), which has increased in importance and range of use in recent years. The aim of this cadaveric study was to assess the efficacy of a new diagnostic method combining USG and RTE and also to perform intra-articular examinations together with arthroscopy. A total of 12 fresh unpaired human knees were examined. The laparoscopic ultrasound transducer was deployed using standard anteromedial and anterolateral arthroscopic portals. Iatrogenic defects were examined using mosaicplasty tools in healthy-looking areas of cartilage, and strain in those areas was measured using RTE. The median strain value of the pathological femoral cartilage region was significantly higher than that of the normal cartilage region (1.23 [0.71-2.24] vs. 0.01 [0.01-0.01], P = 0.002, respectively). Arthroscopic study of cartilage using RTE can be a guide for orthopedic surgeons and use of intra-articular probes could be universalized. Clin. Anat. 32:99-104, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Posterior ankle impingement syndrome in football players: Case series of 26 elite athletes.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a clinical treatment algorithm for posterior ankle impingement (PAI) syndrome in professional football players. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A case series of 26 elite professional football players diagnosed and treated for posterior ankle impingement syndrome were included for the study. All of the athletes received conservative treatment with physical therapy modalities initially. If the first line medical treatment and rehabilitation was ineffective to alleviate the symptoms, ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection was proposed and thereafter the patients underwent posterior ankle arthroscopy if the complaints are still unresolved. The pain scores (AOFAS, VAS), and time to return to play were the main outcome measures. RESULTS: The complaints of 18 (69.2%) players were subsided with non-surgical treatment whereas three of acute cases and five of the chronic cases did not respond to medical treatment and arthroscopic surgery was performed for eight athletes. Eighteen players returned to training for a mean time of 36.3 days (24-42 days) after conservative treatment. The patients who underwent arthroscopic surgery returned to training for a mean time of 49.8 days (42-56 days) after the surgery. All athletes returned to their previous level of competition after treatment without any complications or recurrence in a mean follow-up 36.5 months (19-77 months). CONCLUSION: Non-surgical treatment modalities were effective in 2/3 of posterior ankle impingement syndrome in elite football players. On the other hand, posterior ankle arthroscopy is safe and effective treatment option for posterior ankle impingement syndrome if the conservative treatment fails. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, Therapeutic study.

Real-Time Ultrasound Elastographic Features of Primary Open Angle Glaucoma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the significance of ultrasound elastography for evaluating the optic nerve in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). METHODS: This prospective, comparative case series included 40 eyes of 40 patients. Twenty eyes with POAG comprised the POAG group, and 20 eyes of 20 patients without glaucoma who admitted to general eye clinic for near vision glasses comprised the control group. All real-time sonographicelastographic examinations were performed by the same physician. The ratio of orbital fat to optic nerve head (ROFON) and lateral rectus to optic nerve head (RLRON) were determined. Statistical analyses were performed using Student t test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and χ test. RESULTS: The mean ages of the patients in the study and the control groups were 65.10 ± 7.88 years (range, 48-80 years), and 69.15 ± 7.92 years (range, 55-89 years), respectively (P = 0.113). Mean ROFONs were 1.85 and 6.42 (P < 0.05), and mean RLRONs were 0.65 and 1.07 (P < 0.05) in the control and POAG groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Real-time elastography showed increased ROFON and RLRON in POAG patients. This can help to understand optic nerve head biomechanics and clarify glaucoma damage in early glaucoma cases.