Radiological management and challenges of the twin earthquakes of February 6th.

Two major earthquakes measuring 7.8 and 7.7 on the Richter scale struck Turkey and Northern Syria on February 6, claiming more than 50,000 lives. In such an unprecedented disaster, radiologists were confronted with very critical tasks of stepping out of the routine reporting process, performing radiological triage, managing acute adverse events, and optimizing imaging protocols. In our experience, radiologists can take three different positions in such disasters: (1) in the scene of the disaster, (2) serving in teleradiology, and (3) working in tertiary hospital for transported patients. With this article, we aimed to describe the challenges radiologists face on the three main fronts and how we manage these challenges.

Evaluation of the relationship between abdominal fat distribution and osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture with MRI.

OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out to investigate the effects of abdominal subcutaneous adiposity and visceral adiposity on osteoporotic compression fractures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group consisted of a total of 152 individuals aged 50-80 years; 76 were included in the vertebral fracture group and 76 in the healthy control group, whose bone mineral density was calculated. In order to determine the distribution of abdominal fat in both groups, four different measurements, i.e., sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD), abdominal diameter (AD), ventral subcutaneous thickness (VST), and dorsal subcutaneous thickness (DST), were made using lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The visceral fat ratio (VFR) was also calculated based on these measurements. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the patient and control groups in VST and DST values, both when gender distribution was and was not taken into account (p < 0.006 for all cases). There was no significant difference between the patient and control groups in SAD and AS values, both when only female patients were considered, and gender distribution was not taken into account (p > 0.25 for all cases). On the other hand, in the analysis, when only male patients were considered, the SAD and AD values of the patient group were found to be significantly lower than those of the control group (p = 0.046 and p = 0.048, respectively). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the study findings indicated that high SAD values in the male gender and high VST and DST values in both genders were associated with low lumbar vertebral fracture risk.

Impact of the HEAD-US Scoring System for Observing the Protective Effect of Prophylaxis in Hemophilia Patients: A Prospective, Multicenter, Observational Study

Objective: This study aimed to observe the preventive effect of prophylactic treatment on joint health in people with hemophilia (PwH) and to investigate the importance of integration of ultrasonographic examination into clinical and radiological evaluation of the joints. Materials and Methods: This national, multicenter, prospective, observational study included male patients aged ≥6 years with the diagnosis of moderate or severe hemophilia A or B from 8 centers across Turkey between January 2017 and March 2019. Patients were followed for 1 year with 5 visits (baseline and 3th, 6th, 9th, and 12th month visits). The Hemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS) was used for physical examination of joints, the Pettersson scoring system was used for radiological assessment, point-of-care (POC) ultrasonography was used for bilateral examinations of joints, and the Hemophilia Early Arthropathy Detection with Ultrasound (HEAD-US) score was used for evaluation of ultrasonography results. Results: Seventy-three PwH, of whom 62 had hemophilia A and 11 had hemophilia B, were included and 24.7% had target joints at baseline. The HJHS and HEAD-US scores were significantly increased at the 12th month in all patients. These scores were also higher in the hemophilia A subgroup than the hemophilia B subgroup. However, in the childhood group, the increment of scores was not significant. The HEAD-US total score was significantly correlated with both the HJHS total score and Pettersson total score at baseline and at the 12th month. Conclusion: The HEAD-US and HJHS scoring systems are valuable tools during follow-up examinations of PwH and they complement each other. We suggest that POC ultrasonographic evaluation and the HEAD-US scoring system may be integrated into differential diagnosis of bleeding and long-term monitoring for joint health as a routine procedure.

Serum uromodulin levels, MR imaging findings, and their relationship with eGFR-based CKD staging in ADPKD patients.

PURPOSE: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common hereditary kidney disease that may progress to end-stage renal disease, characterized by increased kidney volume due to cystic formations. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between serum uromodulin levels, total kidney volume and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with ADPKD. METHODS: This study included a total of 54 ADPKD patients and 18 healthy volunteers (control group). Total kidney volumes were calculated through magnetic resonance images using ellipsoid method. Serum uromodulin measurements were measured using an ELISA method. RESULTS: Serum uromodulin levels were lower in patients compared with the control group (2.47 ± 0.16 vs 2.6 ± 0.28, p = 0.021). There was no significant difference in uromodulin values among the patients in chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 1-2, 3 and 4-5. TKV measurements of CKD stage 4-5 patients were significantly higher than the stage 1-2 patients (p = 0.015). A negative correlation was observed between TKV and eGFR (r = - 0.433, p = 0.001). A positive correlation was observed between uromodulin and eGFR (r = 0.274, p = 0.02). When the serum levels of uromodulin and the level of eGFR were evaluated using simple linear regression analysis, R2 value was found to be 0.075, suggesting that 7.5% change in serum uromodulin values corresponds with the change in eGFR value. CONCLUSION: These findings are consistent with previous studies that reported that serum uromodulin may be a good biomarker for demonstrating renal function in the early stages of CKD, before eGFR levels deteriorate. Serum uromodulin level may be useful in demonstrating renal functions in the follow-up of individuals with ADPKD.

Ischiofemoral Impingement Syndrome: Effect of Morphological Variations on the Diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to clarify which morphologic variations of the hip on MRI are associated with the development of ischiofemoral impingement. METHODS: Hip MRIs of patients who have been referred to our department between 2016-2017 were retrospectively reviewed and assessed for pathological signal changes in the quadratus femoris muscle and ipsilateral hip or buttock pain. After assessment, ischial angle, inclination angle, ischiofemoral space, quadratus femoris space, intertuberous distances and femur neck angle, femoral torsion angle and knee angle were measured and compared in 37 hips of 20 patients and 56 hips of 28 age-gender matched control subjects. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences between the patient and control groups in all MRI parameters except for intertuberous distances (p<0.05). Quadratus femoris space (p<0.001) and ischiofemoral space (p<0.001) were significantly lower and femoral torsion angle (p=0.02), femur neck angle (p=0.001), ischial angle (p=0.01) and inclination angle (p=0.03) values were significantly higher in patients compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: Decreased ischiofemoral space and quadratus femoris space, increased femoral torsion angle, femur neck angle, ischial angle and inclination angle are found to be associated with IFI on MRI. These pelvic anatomical variations may predispose to ischiofemoral impingement and should be kept in mind for patients with hip pain.

Comparison of the Effects of Eccentric, Concentric, and Eccentric-Concentric Isotonic Resistance Training at Two Velocities on Strength and Muscle Hypertrophy.

Ünlü, G, Çevikol, C, and Melekoglu, T. Comparison of the effects of eccentric, concentric, and eccentric-concentric isotonic resistance training at two velocities on strength and muscle hypertrophy. J Strength Cond Res 34(2): 337-344, 2020-The aim of this study was to compare the effects of concentric, eccentric, and eccentric-concentric isotonic resistance training at both fast and slow velocities to determine whether contraction modality affects muscle strength and hypertrophy. Forty-one young, healthy males (mean age 21.1 ± 1.8 years; height 178.9 ± 6.1 cm; body mass 70.5 ± 9.8 kg; and body mass index 22.0 ± 2.6 kg·m) were randomly assigned for 12 weeks to 1 of 5 resistance training groups to perform leg extension exercises 3 days a week (fast-eccentric; fast-concentric [FC]; slow-eccentric [SE]; slow-concentric; and concentric-eccentric [CE], 30°·s for slow and 180°·s for fast contractions), or to a nontraining control group (CG). Isotonic strength (1 repetition maximum [1RM]), isokinetic strength (peak torque), and quadriceps femoris muscle volume were measured before and after the 12 weeks of training program. In the early phase of the training period (first 3 weeks), the 1RM values of SE, FC, and CE increased remarkably (19.70, 13.73, and 19.35%, respectively; p < 0.05). Significant increases compared with the CG were found for muscle isotonic strength (∼25-41%, p < 0.001) and isokinetic peak torque at 60°·s (∼13-32%, p < 0.05) in all training groups after the 12 weeks of the training period. No statistically significant interactions between the group and time were found on isokinetic peak torques at 180°·s and muscle volume. Our results, therefore, suggest that all the training modalities in our study have the potential to induce isotonic strength gain in knee extensors, and there is insufficient evidence for the superiority of any specific mode of muscle contraction or velocity.

Deep palmar tumorous conditions of the hand.

PURPOSE: Deep palmar tumors of the hand are very rare, and reported cases are usually benign. The most important issue is frequent anatomical variations with challenging surgical exposure and excision of these lesions. Some case reports or a small series of patients have been reported in the literature. The aim of this study was to present our experience with the deep palmar tumors of the hand. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the study, retrospective analyses of 43 patients treated with deep palmar tumors of the hand between January 1998 and June 2015 were evaluated. Tumors and tumor-like pathologies of the deep palmar space of the hand were retrospectively evaluated according to age, gender, localization, preoperative symptoms, size, site, treatment methods, histopathology, and early and late complications. Statistics and data analyses were also performed. RESULTS: All 43 pathologies were benign, and histopathologic diagnoses were 10 lipomas, 8 ganglions, 5 giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath, 4 schwannomas, 3 hemangiomas, 3 palmar fibromatosis, 2 epidermal cysts, 2 neurofibroma, 1 angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia, 1 granuloma, 1 calcifying aponeurotic fibroma, 1 digital fibroma, 1 foreign body granuloma, and 1 lipofibromatous hamartoma. The most common complication was temporary numbness and paresthesias of the digits. Marginal excision was performed in 40 patients, excision with nerve grafting in 2 patients (with neurofibroma) and carpal tunnel release in one patient with lipofibromatous hamartoma. CONCLUSION: In the deep palmar space of the hand, pathologies are closely associated with tendons, muscles, and neurovascular structures. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging is helpful for the preoperative diagnosis, evaluating tumor extension, and successful surgical planning. Level of Evidence: IV Therapautic.

Correlation of Minimum Apparent Diffusion Coefficient and Maximum Standardized Uptake Value of the Primary Tumor with Clinicopathologic Characteristics in Endometrial Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation of the primary tumor's maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCmin) with clinicopathologic features, and to determine their predictive power in endometrial cancer (EC). METHODS: A total of 45 patients who had undergone staging surgery after a preoperative evaluation with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (PET/CT) and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) were included in a prospective case-series study with planned data collection. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the correlations between the study variables. RESULTS: The mean ADCmin and SUVmax values were determined as 0.72±0.22 and 16.54±8.73, respectively. A univariate analysis identified age, myometrial invasion (MI) and lymphovascular space involvement (LVSI) as the potential factors associated with ADCmin while it identified age, stage, tumor size, MI, LVSI and number of metastatic lymph nodes as the potential variables correlated to SUVmax. In multivariate analysis, on the other hand, MI was the only significant variable that correlated with ADCmin (p=0.007) and SUVmax (p=0.024). Deep MI was best predicted by an ADCmin cutoff value of ≤0.77 [93.7% sensitivity, 48.2% specificity, and 93.0% negative predictive value (NPV)] and SUVmax cutoff value of >20.5 (62.5% sensitivity, 86.2% specificity, and 81.0% NPV); however, the two diagnostic tests were not significantly different (p=0.266). CONCLUSION: Among clinicopathologic features, only MI was independently correlated with SUVmax and ADCmin. However, the routine use of 18F-FDG PET/CT or DW-MRI cannot be recommended at the moment due to less than ideal predictive performances of both parameters.

A case of plastron appendicitis mimicking malignant cecal tumor in flourodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography study.

In recent years, flourodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) has been used intensively in the field of oncology. However, an increase in FDG uptake has been observed both in malignant tissues, and inflammatory processes. Therefore false-positive results have appeared. We present a 70-year-old male patient who presented to the hospital with right lower quadrant pain. A right lower quadrant mass was observed with conventional methods, and PET/CT was performed which revealed a hypermetabolic mass in the right lower quadrant. The patient was referred to the surgery with a suspect malignant mass whose histopathological report indicated plastron appendicitis. Although FDG PET/CT is a reliable method in the evaluation of oncological cases, false-positivities should be taken into consideration in inflammatory processes.

Assessment of women who applied for the uterine transplant project as potential candidates for uterus transplantation.

AIM: To review the medical charts of women who applied for the uterine transplant project from June 2008 to June 2011 in our hospital retrospectively (18-40 years). METHODS: The data for 144 women were retrieved, and information was collected on the etiology of uterine factor infertility(UFI); ovarian reserve tests; and accompanying anatomic, infectious, genetic and endocrinological problems. RESULTS: There were 119 patients with primary amenorrhea and uterovaginal agenesis and 25 patients with a history of hysterectomy. The complete Müllerian agenesis patients formed the largest group of the UFI patients with better anti-Müllerian hormone levels and antral follicle count. Anatomical anomalies such as a solitary pelvic kidney may accompany Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH) and impede surgery. The mean ages in MRKH, hysterectomy and complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) cases were 24.7, 35.0 and 34.4 years, respectively. The karyotype analysis showed 46XX (MRKH) in 109 patients and 46XY (CAIS) in 10 of the primary amenorrhea patients. CONCLUSION: Hysterectomy may deteriorate ovarian blood flow and decrease ovarian reserve. Fertility preservation may be considered in young woman undergoing hysterectomy.

Venous drainage patterns in carotid cavernous fistulas.

Purpose. The carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF) is an abnormal arteriovenous communication and its drainage pathways may affect the clinic presentation and change treatment approach. We evaluated drainage patterns of CCFs by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and categorized drainage pathways according to their types and etiology. Materials and Methods. Venous drainage patterns of 13 CCFs from 10 subjects were studied and categorized as anterior, posterior, superior, inferior, and contralateral on DSA. Drainage patterns were correlated to types and etiology of CCFs. Diagnosis of CCFs was first made by noninvasive imaging techniques. Results. On DSA, traumatic CCFs were usually high flow, direct type while spontaneous CCFs were usually slow flow, indirect type. Bilaterality and mixed types were observed among the indirect spontaneous CCFs. In all CCFs, anterior and inferior drainages were the most common. Contrary to the literature, posterior and superior drainages were noted only in high flow and long standing direct fistulas. Contralateral drainage was not observed in all, supporting plausible compartmentalization of cavernous sinuses. Conclusion. Types, etiology, and duration of the CCFs may affect their drainage patterns. DSA is valuable for categorization of CCFs and verification of drainage patterns. Drainage pathways may affect the clinic presentation and also change treatment approach.

MRI findings in thoracic outlet syndrome.

We discuss MRI findings in patients with thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). A total of 100 neurovascular bundles were evaluated in the interscalene triangle (IS), costoclavicular (CC), and retropectoralis minor (RPM) spaces. To exclude neurogenic abnormality, MRIs of the cervical spine and brachial plexus (BPL) were obtained in neutral. To exclude compression on neurovascular bundles, sagittal T1W images were obtained vertical to the longitudinal axis of BPL from spinal cord to the medial part of the humerus, in abduction and neutral. To exclude vascular TOS, MR angiography (MRA) and venography (MRV) of the subclavian artery (SA) and vein (SV) in abduction were obtained. If there is compression on the vessels, MRA and MRV of the subclavian vessels were repeated in neutral. Seventy-one neurovascular bundles were found to be abnormal: 16 arterial-venous-neurogenic, 20 neurogenic, 1 arterial, 15 venous, 8 arterial-venous, 3 arterial-neurogenic, and 8 venous-neurogenic TOS. Overall, neurogenic TOS was noted in 69%, venous TOS in 66%, and arterial TOS in 39%. The neurovascular bundle was most commonly compressed in the CC, mostly secondary to position, and very rarely compressed in the RPM. The cause of TOS was congenital bone variations in 36%, congenital fibromuscular anomalies in 11%, and position in 53%. In 5%, there was unilateral brachial plexitis in addition to compression of the neurovascular bundle. Severe cervical spondylosis was noted in 14%, contributing to TOS symptoms. For evaluation of patients with TOS, visualization of the brachial plexus and cervical spine and dynamic evaluation of neurovascular bundles in the cervicothoracobrachial region are mandatory.

Sacroiliac joint involvement in psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a skin disorder that is associated with arthritis. Sacroiliac joint involvement is considered to be less frequent than the other types of psoriatic arthritis. Additionally, the psoriatic sacroiliitis is considered to be asymmetric in general. We aimed to define the frequency and type of sacroiliac involvement in patients with psoriasis. Patients with psoriasis were included the study. Characteristics of skin, nail and articular involvement were noted. Psoriasis area and severity index was calculated. Antero-posterior pelvic X-rays were obtained and graded by two rheumatologists and a radiologist independently. One hundred and thirty-three patients were included. Thirty-seven of patients (27%) have articular involvement symptomatically. The sacroiliac joint involvement was observed in 34 (26%) of patients. More than one-half of sacroiliac involvement was bilateral while less than one-half was in symptomatic patients regarding sacroiliitis. Fifty-seven percentages of all patients have psoriatic nail involvement. Sacroiliac joint involvement did not show any significant association with psoriatic nail involvement or the severity of skin disease. We found higher frequency of sacroiliac joint involvement and bilateral sacroiliitis in patients with psoriasis. This is in contrast to present information about the association of psoriasis and sacroiliitis. These findings need confirmation by further studies and with more sophisticated techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging.

Effect of joint motion on safety of portals in posterior ankle arthroscopy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the anatomic relation of the neural structures posteriorly crossing the ankle by use of classical ankle arthroscopy posterior portals and hindfoot endoscopy portals. The effect of ankle and hindfoot motions on portal-nerve distance was also determined. METHODS: This study included 20 feet and ankles in 20 adult volunteers who had no complaints regarding their ankle joints. To obtain 6 fixed positions of the ankle and hindfoot (neutral-neutral, neutral-varus, neutral-valgus, dorsiflexion-neutral, dorsiflexion-varus, and dorsiflexion-valgus) during magnetic resonance imaging examination, feet were positioned in a polycaprolactone splint that was shaped before examination. Magnetic resonance imaging examinations were performed at all 6 positions, and the shortest distance between the sural and posterior tibial nerves to the portals was measured at 2 different levels. RESULTS: The mean distance between the posterior tibial nerve and the posteromedial portal was 16.5 +/- 5.6 mm and that between the sural nerve and the posterolateral portal was 13.1 +/- 3 mm at the hindfoot portal level. At the level of the posterior ankle arthroscopy portal, the mean distance from the posterior tibial nerve to the posteromedial portal line was 13.3 +/- 4.6 mm and that from the sural nerve to the posterolateral portal line was 9.7 +/- 2.9 mm. The differences in distances were statistically significant (P < .001) according to the paired t test. We determined that the sural nerve approached the posterolateral portal in the dorsiflexion-varus (P = .026), dorsiflexion-valgus (P = .014), dorsiflexion-neutral (P < .001), and neutral-varus (P = .035) positions, and all differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the posterior medial and lateral portals created at the level of the tip of the fibula as described by van Dijk et al. while the foot was in a neutral-neutral position provided the greatest margin of safety. We found no advantage of placing the ankle and hindfoot in different positions to avoid neurologic complications. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These findings suggest that neurovascular structures draw away from the posterior portals of ankle arthroscopy distally; by lowering the level of portals toward the tip of the fibula and positioning the foot at neutral, arthroscopic surgeons will decrease the risk of iatrogenic lesions.

Posttraumatic labyrinthitis ossificans with perilymphatic fistulization.

Labyrinthitis ossificans is fibrosis or ossification of the membranous labyrinth. Tympanogenic, meningogenic, and hematogenous etiologies are more common than trauma in the development of labyrinthitis ossificans. We present a case complaining of right-sided hearing loss and symptoms of otitis media and positional vertigo resulting from perilymphatic fistulization. Imaging revealed labyrinthitis ossificans secondary to temporal bone fracture crossing through the otic capsule.

Detection and treatment of traumatic separation of the distal humeral epiphysis in a neonate: a case report.

Traumatic separation of the distal humeral epiphysis during delivery is an uncommon injury in neonates and usually mimics elbow dislocation. Emergency medicine physicians and orthopedic surgeons must have a high index of suspicion for distal humeral epiphysis separation when evaluating elbow trauma in neonates. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is an important diagnostic tool for this purpose. We report a case in which fracture-separation of the distal humeral epiphysis in a newborn was diagnosed with the help of ultrasonography and MRI scan, which provided a clear delineation of the injury.

An unusual localization of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma in a neonate.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a common, highly malignant, uniformly fatal childhood malignancy, which presents extremely rarely in the neonatal period; there are only a few reports about this tumor in this age group. While the primary tumor may arise virtually anywhere in the body, the extremity, orbit and genitourinary region are the most frequent sites; the retromammary region is extremely rare. Herein, we report a neonate with embryonal RMS arising from the anterior chest wall musculature at birth.

Anatomical basics and variations of the scapula in Turkish adults.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the anatomical basis of the scapula, acromion, os acromiale, coracoid process, coraco-acromial arch, and glenoid cavity in Turkish adults. METHODS: We performed the study at the Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Turkey between January 2004 and December 2005. A total of 90 dry bones of the scapula from human cadavers were randomly selected. The length, width, and anterior thickness of the acromion and the acromial facet of the acromioclavicular joint were measured with an electronic caliber and was examined visually. For the radiological evaluation, the posterior anterior and the lateral shoulder radiographs of 90 consecutive adult patients with normal findings were used. These films were evaluated and grouped according to the acromial arch morphology. RESULTS: The distribution of the acromial morphologic types according to slope was type I (flat) 10%, type II (curved) 73%, type III (hooked) 17%. Type I was seen in 11%, type II 66%, type III 23% of the specimens. The morphological shape of the tip of the acromion was 31% cobra shaped, 13% square shaped, and 56% intermediate type. The scapulas, coracoid process and the coraco acromial arch were measured. In 72% of the specimen, the glenoid notch of the scapulas were absent and oval shaped, whereas in 28% the notch was well expressed and the glenoid cavity was pear shaped. The mean vertical length of the glenoid cavity was 36.3 +/- 3 mm, and the mean transverse length was 24.6 +/- 2.5 mm. Os acromiale is a rare anatomical condition. Its incidence has been documented in radiographic and anatomical studies to be between 1-15%. The presence of os acromiale was 1% in shoulder radiographs (os pre-acromiale), and in dry bones (os meta-acromiale) CONCLUSION: We reported the exact morphological measurements of the bone structures of the scapula in Turkish adult population. Our results present an instructive figures of anatomical preparations and radiological cases that can be used to make a more precise radiological and a differential diagnoses.

[MR imaging of meniscal tears at low-field (0.35 T) and high-field (1.5 T) MR units]. / Menisküs yirtiklarinin saptanmasinda düsük (0.35 T) ve yüksek (1.5 T) tesla MRG cihazlarinin tanisal degeri.

PURPOSE: To compare the effectivity of low (0.35 T) and high (1.5 T) field magnetic resonance imaging units in detecting meniscal tears. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight knee MR imaging examinations performed in low field MR unit and 76 examinations performed in high field unit were retrospectively evaluated. MR results were compared with arthroscopy findings in all patients. RESULTS: For medial meniscus tears, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy values were 93.7%, 87.5% and 91.6%, respectively in the low field unit. For lateral meniscus tears, these values were 87.5%, 95.0% and 93.7%, respectively. In the high field unit (1.5 T), sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for the detection of medial meniscus tears were 96.6%, 88.2% and 94.7%, respectively. For lateral meniscus tears, these values were 71.4%, 98.5% and 96.0%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between high and low field units in the detection of medial and lateral meniscus tears. CONCLUSION: We think that low field MR units are as effective as high field units in the evaluation of meniscus tears.

Solitary eosinophilic granuloma of the third metacarpal at pediatric age.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis involves disorders previously referred to as "histiocytosis X" (including eosinophilic granuloma of bone, Letterer-Siwe, and Hand-Schüller-Christian syndrome). Eosinophilic granuloma of the hand, especially if solitary, is extremely rare. This is the third pediatric case reported in the literature with solitary eosinophilic granuloma of the hand and the second with metacarpal involvement. The patient's lesion was curetted and the histologic examination showed eosinophilic granuloma. The patient received adjuvant radiotherapy because of continuing mild functional impairment and fracture risk. At 12-month follow-up near complete recovery of the lesion was observed. Radiologically, there was sclerosis and remodeling of the third metacarpal. The patient is disease-free at 26 months.