Platelet-Rich Plasma Shortens Return to Play in National Football League Players With Acute Hamstring Injuries.

BACKGROUND: Hamstring injuries are prevalent in professional athletes and can lead to significant time loss, with recurrent injury being common. The efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for augmentation of nonoperative treatment of partial musculotendinous hamstring injuries is not well established. HYPOTHESIS: The addition of PRP injections to nonoperative treatment for acute partial musculotendinous hamstring injuries will lead to a shortened return to play in National Football League (NFL) players. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: NFL players from a single team who sustained acute grade 2 hamstring injuries, as diagnosed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by a musculoskeletal radiologist from 2009 to 2018, were retrospectively reviewed. Average days, practices, and games missed were recorded. Players who did and did not receive PRP (leukocyte-poor) injections were compared. Those who received PRP did so within 24 to 48 hours after injury. RESULTS: A total of 108 NFL players had MRI evidence of a hamstring injury, and of those, 69 athletes sustained grade 2 injuries. Thirty players received augmented treatment with PRP injections and 39 players underwent nonoperative treatment alone. Average time missed in those treated with PRP injections was 22.5 days, 18.2 practices, and 1.3 games. In those who did not receive PRP injections, time missed was 25.7 days (P = .81), 22.8 practices (P = .68), and 2.9 games (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Augmentation with PRP injections for acute grade 2 hamstring injuries in NFL players showed no significant difference in days missed or time to return to practice but did allow for faster return to play, with a 1 game overall difference. Owing to the possible large financial impact of returning to play 1 game sooner, PRP injections for treatment of grade 2 hamstring injuries may be advantageous in professional athletes.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Shoulder Pain-Atraumatic.

Shoulder pain is one of the most common reasons for musculoskeletal-related physician visits. Imaging plays an important role in identifying the specific cause of atraumatic shoulder pain. This review is divided into two parts. The first part provides a general discussion of various imaging modalities (radiographs, arthrography, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, CT, and MRI) and their usefulness in evaluating atraumatic shoulder pain. The second part focuses on the most appropriate imaging algorithms for specific shoulder conditions including: rotator cuff disorders, labral tear/instability, bursitis, adhesive capsulitis, biceps tendon abnormalities, postoperative rotator cuff tears, and neurogenic pain. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Chronic Wrist Pain.

Radiographs are indicated as the first imaging test in all patients with chronic wrist pain, regardless of the suspected diagnosis. When radiographs are normal or equivocal, advanced imaging with MRI (without or without intravenous contrast or following arthrography), CT (usually without contrast), and ultrasound each has a role in establishing a diagnosis. Furthermore, these examinations may contribute to staging disease, treatment planning, and prognostication, even when radiographs are diagnostic of a specific condition. Which examination or examinations are best depends on the specific location of pain and the clinically suspected conditions. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Chronic Hip Pain.

Chronic hip pain is a common clinical problem whose cause is often elucidated by imaging. The ACR Appropriateness Criteria for chronic hip pain define best practices of image ordering. Clinical scenarios are followed by the imaging choices and their appropriateness. The information is in ordered tables with an accompanying narrative explanation to guide physicians to order the right test. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer-reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

Hamstring injuries in professional football players: magnetic resonance imaging correlation with return to play.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows for detailed evaluation of hamstring injuries; however, there is no classification that allows prediction of return to play. PURPOSE: To correlate time for return to play in professional football players with MRI findings after acute hamstring strains and to create an MRI scoring scale predictive of return to sports. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiologic study. METHODS: Thirty-eight professional football players (43 cases) sustained acute hamstring strains with MRI evaluation. Records were retrospectively reviewed, and MRIs were evaluated by 2 musculoskeletal radiologists, graded with a traditional radiologic grade, and scored with a new MRI score. Results were correlated with games missed. RESULTS: Players missed 2.6 ± 3.1 games. Based on MRI, the hamstring injury involved the biceps femoris long head in 34 cases and the proximal and distal hamstrings in 25 and 22 cases, respectively. When < 50% of the muscle was involved, the average number of games missed was 1.8; if > 75%, then 3.2. Ten players had retraction, missing 5.5 games. By MRI, grade I injuries yielded an average of 1.1 missed games; grade II, 1.7; and grade III, 6.4. Players who missed 0 or 1 game had an MRI score of 8.2; 2 or 3 games, 11.1; and 4 or more games, 13.9. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid return to play (< 1 week) occurred with isolated long head of biceps femoris injures with < 50% of involvement and minimal perimuscular edema, correlating to grade I radiologic strain (MRI score < 10). Prolonged recovery (missing > 2 or 3 games) occurs with multiple muscle injury, injuries distal to musculotendinous junction, short head of biceps injury, > 75% involvement, retraction, circumferential edema, and grade III radiologic strain (MRI score > 15). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: MRI grade and this new MRI score are useful in determining severity of injury and games missed-and, ideally, predicting time missed from sports.

Magnetic resonance appearance of posterosuperior labral peel back during humeral abduction and external rotation.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the magnetic resonance appearance of posterosuperior labral peel back and determine the reliability of MR in the abducted and externally rotated (ABER) position for the prospective diagnosis of arthroscopically proven cases of posterosuperior labral peel back. METHODS: After approval by the institutional review board (IRB) of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, USA, databases of patients who underwent arthroscopy over a 2-year period for one of three clinical diagnoses [suspected type 2 superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) tears, posterior instability, or multidirectional instability] were reviewed after anonymization by an honest broker. Sixty-three cases were selected by the following inclusion criteria: operative report documenting labral peel back in the ABER position, age <40 years, and preceding MR arthrogram evaluations with images in the ABER position (n=34). Inclusion criteria for the control group differed from those for the case group insofar as the operative note documented the absence of posterosuperior labral peel back (n=29). Cases and controls were randomized in one list and evaluated independently by two fellowship-trained musculoskeletal radiologists unaware of the surgical results and using a three-point grading system (0 = posterosuperior labrum normally positioned lateral/craniad to glenoid articular plane in ABER; 1 = posterosuperior labral tissue flush with the glenoid articular plane in ABER; 2 = posterosuperior labral tissue identified medial/caudal to glenoid articular plane in ABER). Only one image in ABER showing abnormal posterosuperior labral position was required for a grade of 1 or 2 to be assigned. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value were calculated as well as the level of agreement between readers (kappa). RESULTS: Both readers assigned a grade of 2 to 25 of 34 patients with surgically proven labral peel back. Of the patients with surgically proven SLAP tears with peel back in ABER, reader A assigned a grade of 1 to seven patients and a grade of 0 to two patients, while reader B assigned a grade of 1 to eight patients and a grade of 0 to one patient. In the control group of 29 patients, reader A assigned 28 patients a grade of 0, one patient a grade 1, and no patients a grade 2. Reader B assigned 27 patients a grade of 0, two a grade 1, and no patients a grade 2. After the data had been dichotomized, with grade 1 and 0 cases both being regarded as negative, the MR criteria showed a sensitivity of 73%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, and negative predictive value of 78%. The kappa coefficient of inter-rater agreement was excellent at 0.9, with disagreement in only four of 63 cases. In five of the 34 cases with peel back, a labral tear, defined by imbibition of contrast agent within a gap between labrum and underlying glenoid bone, could not be identified in standard planes in the neutral position. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the glenoid articular plane as a reference line to evaluate labral peel back in the abducted and externally rotated position is a fairly accurate and highly precise method for detection of posterosuperior labral peel back. Raising the possibility of labral peel back may help alert the arthroscopist to the presence of superior labral instability while the arm is abducted and externally rotated.

Normal appearance and complications of double-bundle and selective-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions using optimal MRI techniques.

OBJECTIVE: Double-bundle and selective-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions are increasingly performed to better reproduce the double-bundle anatomy of the native ACL and to improve knee stability and surgical outcomes. This article illustrates how to optimize visualization of the ACL bundle anatomy and the appearances of graft components and postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: It is important for the radiologist to be familiar with the appearance of double-bundle and selective-bundle ACL reconstructions and associated complications.

Advanced MR imaging of the cruciate ligaments.

The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments are crucial stabilizers of the knee. These ligaments are named by the location of their tibial attachments. Each ligament is composed of separate functional bundles that differ in size but are equally important in function. MR imaging is accurate and sensitive, making it the imaging technique of choice for evaluating these ligaments. Acute and chronic injuries involving the cruciate ligaments have typical appearances and associated findings. MR imaging interpretation must take into account atypical injuries and imaging pitfalls. Knowledge of normal ligament reconstruction techniques allows differentiation of the normal postoperative appearance from reconstruction failure and complications. Ligament reconstruction techniques, complications, and appearances are reviewed in this article.

Advanced MR imaging of the cruciate ligaments.

The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments are crucial stabilizers of the knee. These ligaments are named by the location of their tibial attachments. Each ligament is composed of separate functional bundles that differ in size but are equally important in function. MR imaging is accurate and sensitive, making it the imaging technique of choice for evaluating these ligaments. Acute and chronic injuries involving the cruciate ligaments have typical appearances and associated findings. MR imaging interpretation must take into account atypical injuries and imaging pitfalls. Knowledge of normal ligament reconstruction techniques allows differentiation of the normal postoperative appearance from reconstruction failure and complications. Ligament reconstruction techniques, complications, and appearances are reviewed in this article.

Preliminary reports in the emergency department: is a subspecialist radiologist more accurate than a radiology resident?

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To determine whether emergency department (ED) preliminary reports rendered by subspecialist attending radiologists who are reading outside their field of expertise are more accurate than reports rendered by radiology residents, and to compare error rates between radiologists and nonradiologists in the ED setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was performed at a large academic medical center with a busy ED. An electronic preliminary report generator was used in the ED to capture preliminary interpretations rendered in a clinical setting by radiology residents, junior attendings (within 2 years of taking their oral boards), senior attendings, and ED clinicians between August 1999 and November 2004. Each preliminary report was later reviewed by a final interpreting radiologist, and the preliminary interpretation was adjudicated for the presence of substantial discordances, defined as a difference in interpretation that might immediately impact the care of the patient. Of the 612,890 preliminary reports in the database, 65,780 (11%) met inclusion criteria for this study. A log-linear analysis was used to assess the effects of modality and type of author on preliminary report error rates. RESULTS: ED clinicians had significantly higher error rates when compared with any type of radiologist, regardless of modality. Within the radiologists, residents and junior attendings had lower error rates than did senior attendings, but the differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Subspecialized attending radiologists who interpret ED examinations outside their area of expertise have error rates similar to those of radiology residents. Nonradiologists have significantly higher error rates than radiologists and radiology residents when interpreting examinations in the ED.

Rotator cuff contusions of the shoulder in professional football players: epidemiology and magnetic resonance imaging findings.

BACKGROUND: No published reports have studied the epidemiology and magnetic resonance imaging findings associated with rotator cuff contusions of the shoulder in professional football players. PURPOSE: To determine a single professional football team's incidence, treatment, and magnetic resonance imaging appearance of players sustaining rotator cuff contusions of the shoulder. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: From 1999 to 2005, a North American professional football team's injury records were retrospectively reviewed for athletes who had sustained a rotator cuff contusion of the shoulder during in-season participation. Those patients who had magnetic resonance imaging of the shoulder with a 1.5-Tesla magnet were reviewed by a musculoskeletal radiologist and graded according to the appearance and severity of clinical injury. RESULTS: Twenty-six players had a rotator cuff contusion. There was an average of 5.5 rotator cuff contusions per season (47% of all shoulder injuries). The predominant mechanism of injury was a direct blow in 70.3%. Magnetic resonance imaging findings included peritendon edema at the myotendinous junction, critical zone tendon edema, and subentheseal bone bruises. Treatment consisted of a protocol involving modalities and cuff rehabilitation in all patients. Six patients had persistent pain and weakness for a minimum of 3 days and were given a subacromial corticosteroid injection. Overall, 3 patients (11.4%) required later surgical treatment on the shoulder. CONCLUSION: Rotator cuff contusions accounted for nearly half of all shoulder injuries in the football players in this study. Magnetic resonance imaging is an extremely useful tool in determining severity of injury and integrity of the rotator cuff. The majority of athletes are able to return to sports with conservative treatment; a minority of shoulders might progress to more severe injuries such as rotator cuff tears.

Radiographic and MR imaging of the athletic hip.

Imaging of the athletic hip has changed significantly over the past 10 years to address clinical concerns of intra-articular pathology and femoroacetabular impingement. Currently, high-resolution direct MR arthrography of the hip provides the best means for evaluating intra-articular pathology. However, radiography remains important for the diagnosis of subtle bony irregularities associated with femoroacetabular impingement. Therefore, a comprehensive imaging strategy requires conventional radiographs and MRI to evaluate intra- and extra-articular sources of pain. Because of newer surgical techniques, MR interpretations should provide description of labral tears and assessment of cartilage defects, as well as, capsule/iliofemoral ligament injury, femoroacetabular impingement, and tears of the ligamentum teres to aid preoperative planning and help provide prognostic information.

Clinical presentation and radiographic findings of distal biceps tendon degeneration: a potentially forgotten cause of proximal radial forearm pain.

For patients who present insidiously with proximal-radial forearm pain, the differential diagnosis should include distal biceps tendon degeneration. If radial tunnel and pronator syndromes, lateral epicondylitis, and radiocapitellar arthritis are eliminated as potential causes, tenderness over the proximal radius, supination weakness, and characteristic radiographic or magnetic resonance imaging findings may facilitate correct diagnosis of distal biceps tendon degeneration. In this article, we describe the clinical presentation and radiographic findings for 5 patients who presented with distal biceps degeneration.

Shoulder magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities, wheelchair propulsion, and gender.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between pushrim forces and the progression of shoulder injuries in manual wheelchair users. DESIGN: Longitudinal case series. SETTING: Biomechanics laboratory and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facility at a Veterans Health Administration medical center and university hospital, respectively. PARTICIPANTS: Fourteen individuals with spinal cord injury (8 men, 6 women) who used manual wheelchairs. INTERVENTION: Subjects propelled their own wheelchairs on a dynamometer at 0.9 and 1.8m/s. Bilateral biomechanical data were obtained by using force and moment sensing pushrims at time 1. Bilateral shoulder MR images were also completed on 2 occasions, at time 1 and, approximately 2 years later, at time 2. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The peak pushrim forces in a pushrim coordinate system were calculated, weight normalized and averaged over 5 strokes (presented as % body weight). MRI abnormalities were graded by using a summated scale. Differences between scores between times 1 and 2 were calculated. RESULTS: Subjects were divided into 2 groups based on change in MRI score. Seven subjects were in the group with worsening scores (MRI+; mean, 8.14 points; range, 5-16), and 7 were in the group with improving or unchanging scores (MRI-; mean, -1.00 point; range, -5 to 1). There was no significant difference between groups with respect to age, body mass index, or years from injury. There were significantly more women in the MRI+ group (6 women, 1 man) than in the MRI- group (7 men) (P=.001). The MRI+ group used significantly greater weight-normalized radial force, or force directed toward the axle at time 1, to propel their wheelchairs at each speed (P<.01): MRI+ at 0.9m/s (mean radial force +/- standard deviation, 5.2%+/-1.0%) and MRI- at 0.9m/s (mean radial force, 3.2%+/-1.7%) (P=.028); and MRI+ at 1.8m/s (mean radial force, 6.6%+/-1.2%) (P=.023) and MRI- at 1.8m/s (mean radial force, 4.1%+/-2.2%). In a separate analysis, women were found to propel with a significantly higher radial force. A logistic regression found a significant relationship between radial force at time 1 and increased risk of progression of MRI findings over time. CONCLUSION: Individuals who propel with a greater percentage of force directed toward the axle were at increased risk of progression of MRI findings over time. Most people in this group were women. Clinicians should instruct wheelchair users in effective propulsion techniques and should pay particular attention to women who use wheelchairs. Reducing forces during wheelchair propulsion may minimize the likelihood of developing shoulder injuries.

Biomechanics of tendons and tendon failure.

Research into the biomechanical properties of tendons had led to a better understanding of the functional and pathophysiologic processes that occur in vivo, particularly in the setting of tendon injury and failure. Increasingly, biomechanical information is being utilized in the clinical setting, guiding patient management in certain circumstances. Differentiating minor and self-limiting abnormalities from those in which specific treatment may prevent further disability from altered biomechanics may become an important role for imaging. This article examines normal tendon anatomy and its relationship to tendon biomechanics under both physiological and pathologic conditions. Imaging characteristics of tendons in the physiologic and pathologic states are discussed. We have focused primarily on MRI, as this modality has been studied most intensively and has been shown to offer additional information regarding unsuspected pathology.

Foot and ankle biomechanics.

With the advent of imaging advancements there has been renewed interest in the foot and ankle. However, many of the basic functions and biomechanical considerations of the bones, joints, and specialized tissues of the normal and dysfunctional foot and ankle remain unfamiliar to many radiologists. This article focuses on the basic biomechanics, normal alignment, and common alignment disorders of the foot and ankle that are relevant to radiologists.