Spinal Manifestations of Systemic Disease.

The spine is frequently involved in systemic diseases, including those with neuropathic, infectious, inflammatory, rheumatologic, metabolic, and neoplastic etiologies. This article provides an overview of systemic disorders that may affect the spine, which can be subdivided into disorders predominantly involving the musculoskeletal system (including bones, joints, disks, muscles, and tendons) versus those predominantly involving the nervous system. By identifying the predominant pattern of spine involvement, a succinct, appropriate differential diagnosis can be generated. The importance of reviewing the medical record, as well as prior medical imaging (including nonspine imaging), which may confer greater specificity to the differential diagnosis, is stressed.

Electronic and Social Media-based Radiology Learning Initiative: Development, Implementation, Viewership Trends, and Assessment at 1 Year.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: We report the development of a new "Case of the Day" (COTD) educational initiative using email, social media (SoMe), and a website to disseminate content, as well as its trends in viewership and assessment of utility for the first year of implementation. MATERIALS/METHODS: Using an image-rich format, a new unknown case was disseminated to radiology trainees and attendings at our institution by email twice per week, including history, salient images, and follow-up questions. Simultaneously, content was externally disseminated on Twitter and a publicly viewable departmental website. On subsequent days, the answer was posted via email, Twitter, and website in the form of a brief YouTube video lecture. Viewership data were collected over the first 12 months (July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017), and an anonymous survey of participants was performed. RESULTS: Sixty-five COTDs had complete viewership data and were included in our analysis, yielding 4911 "case" email views (mean = 76), 3798 "answer" email views (mean = 58), 68,034 "case" Twitter impressions (mean = 1047), 75,724 "answer" Twitter impressions (mean = 1164), 5465 "case" Twitter engagements (mean = 84), and 5307 "answer" Twitter engagements (mean = 82). COTD YouTube video lectures garnered 3657 views (mean = 61) amounting to 10,358 minutes of total viewing time. Viewers were very satisfied with COTD quality, with 97% (n = 63) reporting the quality as "good" or "excellent." CONCLUSIONS: Email and SoMe can serve as effective tools for disseminating radiology educational content. SoMe offers substantial external visibility and branding potential for programs.

Social Media Utilization at an Academic Radiology Practice.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: We report social media (SoMe) utilization trends at an academic radiology department, highlighting differences between trainees and faculty and between Baby Boomers versus Generation X and Millennials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An anonymous online survey regarding SoMe utilization and SoMe-based educational curriculum was distributed to all radiologists (trainees and faculty) in our department. Regular chi-square, ordered (Mantel-Haenszel) chi-square, and Fischer exact tests were performed. RESULTS: The survey instrument was sent to 172 radiologists with a 65% completion rate (N = 112). Eighty-three percent (n = 92) of the respondents use SoMe, with Facebook (67%, n = 75), YouTube (57%, n = 64), Instagram (26%, n = 29), and Twitter (21%, n = 23) as the most commonly used platforms. Eighty-one percent (n = 91) use SoMe for 30 minutes or less per day. Thirty-five percent (n = 39) reported previously using SoMe for educational purposes, although 66% (n = 73) would be willing to join SoMe for educational activities. The faculty are more likely than trainees to avoid using SoMe (30% vs 9%, P < 0.03). Trainees are more likely than faculty to find an electronic case-based curriculum valuable (95% vs 83%, P < 0.05) and are willing to spend more time on cases (P < 0.01). Baby Boomers are less interested in joining SoMe for educational activities than Generation X and Millennials (24% vs 73%, P = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Generation gaps between trainees and faculty, as well as between Generation X and Millennials versus Baby Boomers, exist with regard to the use of SoMe, which may be underutilized in radiology education.

The science of cerebral ischemia and the quest for neuroprotection: navigating past failure to future success.

Ischemic stroke remains a leading cause of morbidity and death for which few therapeutic options are available. The development of neuroprotective agents, a once promising field of investigation, has failed to translate from bench to bedside successfully. This work reviews the ischemic cascade, agents targeting steps within the cascade, and potential reasons for lack of translation. Additional therapeutic targets are highlighted and areas requiring further investigation are discussed. It is clear that alternative targets need to be pursued, such as the role glia play in neurological injury and recovery, particularly the interactions between neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and the vasculature. Similarly, the biphasic nature of many signaling molecules such as matrix metalloproteinases and high-mobility group box 1 protein must be further investigated to elucidate periods of detrimental versus beneficial activity.

Clinical implications of novel variants of the fibularis (peroneus) quartus muscle inserting onto the cuboid bone: peroneocuboideus and peroneocalcaneocuboideus.

Two variants of the fibularis (peroneus) quartus muscle were identified and photographed in the legs of a 70-year-old white male cadaver. A rare peroneocuboideus (fibulocuboideus) muscle (as described by Chudzinski) and a novel peroneocalcaneocuboideus (fibulocalcaneocuboideus) muscle was found in the right and left leg, respectively. The latter muscle has not been previously reported and was termed "peroneocalcaneocuboideus" on the basis of its origin and insertions. Also, the distal attachment of both muscles inserted onto the distal lip of the peroneal sulcus of the cuboid bone, which differs from the historical data. The insertion of the peroneocuboideus muscle was previously described as being at the tuberosity of the cuboid bone or, simply, the lateral surface of the cuboid. Therefore, the present case study provides the first gross anatomic photographs of these variant leg muscles along their entire length, identifies a novel fibularis quartus variant, and describes a new insertion site for the peroneocuboideus muscle. Throughout our report, the historical data are reviewed to list the prevalence and describe the clinical implications of the fibularis quartus muscle and its variants. The presence of variant fibularis quartus muscles has been known to cause lateral ankle pain and stenosis, ankle instability, fibular tenosynovitis, subluxation of the fibular (peroneal) tendons, and longitudinal splitting of the fibularis brevis tendon in radiologic and case studies. Therefore, surgeons, radiologists, and clinicians should be aware of these variant muscles when considering various diagnoses, interpreting radiographs, and pursuing surgical intervention to relieve lateral ankle pathologic features.

Locating the sural nerve during calcaneal (Achilles) tendon repair with confidence: a cadaveric study with clinical applications.

The sural nerve is at risk of iatrogenic injury even during minimally invasive operative procedures to repair the calcaneal (Achilles) tendon. Through 107 cadaveric leg dissections, the data derived from the present study was used to develop a regression equation that will enable surgeons to estimate the intersection point at which the sural nerve crosses the lateral border of the Achilles tendon, an important surgical landmark. In most cases, the sural nerve crossed the lateral border of the Achilles tendon 8 to 10 cm proximal to the superior border of the calcaneal tuberosity. By simply measuring the leg length of the patient (from the base of the heel to the flexor crease of the popliteal fossa), surgeons can approximate the location of this intersection point with an interval length of 0.68 to 1.80 cm, with 90% confidence, or 0.82 to 2.15 cm, with 95% confidence. For example, for a patient with a lower leg length of 47.0 cm, the mean measurement in the present study, a surgeon can be 90% confident that the sural nerve will cross the lateral border of the Achilles tendon 8.28 to 8.96 cm (interval width of 0.68 cm) proximal to the calcaneal tuberosity. Currently, ultrasound and clinical techniques have been implemented to approximate the location of the sural nerve. The results of the present study offer surgeons another method, that is less intensive, to locate reliably and subsequently avoid damage to the sural nerve during calcaneal (Achilles) tendon repair and other procedures of the posterolateral leg and ankle.

Anabolic steroids and head injury.

BACKGROUND: The suggestion has been made that neurological changes seen in the syndrome of chronic traumatic encephalopathy may be due to exogenous anabolic steroid use rather than traumatic brain injury. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether administration of anabolic steroids alters the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury. METHODS: Sixty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats and a linear acceleration model of traumatic brain injury were used. Experimental groups were (1) preinjury anabolic steroids, (2) preinjury placebo carrier, (3) anabolic steroids without injury, (4) no steroids and no injury, (5) postinjury placebo carrier, and (6) postinjury anabolic steroids. Following a 30-day recovery, rats were euthanized, and brainstem white matter tracts underwent fluorescent immunohistochemical processing and labeling of ß-amyloid precursor protein (APP), a marker of axonal injury. Digital imaging and statistical analyses were used to determine whether anabolic steroid administration resulted in a significant change in the number of injured axons. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in number of APP-positive axons by immunohistochemical analysis between respective anabolic steroid and placebo groups. CONCLUSION: Using a standard acceleration-deceleration model of mild traumatic brain injury, we have shown successful visualization of traumatically injured axons with antibody staining of APP. Our results indicate no statistically significant effect of anabolic steroids on the number of APP-positive axons. With the use of this model, and within its limitations, we see no adverse effect or causative role of anabolic steroid administration on the brain following mild traumatic brain injury using APP counts as a marker for anatomic injury.

Cervical variations of the phrenic nerve.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Selective reinnervation of the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle with a single phrenic nerve rootlet has been shown to restore physiologic motion in animal models. However, clinical translation of this work is challenged by the limited knowledge of the cervical anatomy of the phrenic nerve. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective collaborative study. METHODS: Dissection of 111 cadaveric necks (88 embalmed and 23 unembalmed) from 56 cadavers. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) lengths of unembalmed cadaver C3, C4, and C5 nerve rootlets were 3.9 (2.4), 3.6 (2.6), and 0.5 (0.8) cm, respectively. Embalmed cadavers had shorter C3 and C4 phrenic nerve rootlet lengths than unembalmed cadavers (P = .02 and P = .03, respectively). There was no difference in mean nerve rootlet length based on sex, body height or weight, or side of dissection. A total of eight unique phrenic nerve rootlet patterns were identified. The most common pattern consisted of phrenic with single C3 and C4 rootlets with an immeasurable C5 rootlet, which was present in 30 of 111 (26%) of the necks. The classic three branching pattern of single C3, C4, and C5 rootlets was found in 25 of 111 (22%) of the necks. Six of 111 (5%) of the dissections displayed accessory phrenic nerves arising from the C3, C4, or C5 anterior rami. A χ(2) analysis showed no difference between side or sex and frequency of pattern. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates the wide variability within the cervical anatomy of the phrenic nerve.

Medical management of cerebellar abscess: a case report and review of the literature.

A large abscess of the posterior fossa often warrants surgical intervention. We report a case of a 50-year-old male presenting with a cerebellar abscess measuring 2.8 cm x 1.6 cm located in the left cerebellar hemisphere at the level of the middle cerebellar peduncle that was treated conservatively and successfully with antibiotics. Therapeutic management options are discussed in regards to this case specifically as well as a review of the literature. This case illustrates the successful medical management of a cerebellar abscess of otogenic origin in an adult, a unique result in terms of abscess size and age of the patient.