An unexpected cause of sacroiliitis in a patient with gout and chronic psoriasis with inflammatory arthritis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory back pain is a condition characterized by inflammation of the sacroiliac joints and lower spine. It is frequently seen in patients with spondyloarthropathies like ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, enteropathic arthritis and reactive arthritis. Inflammatory back pain can be caused by many other conditions like infection and crystal deposition such as gout. In this case, it is difficult to specifically identify gout as a cause by ordinary imaging like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound. CASE PRESENTATION: This case report describes a young man with severe psoriasis, presumptive psoriatic spondyloarthropathy and chronic extensive tophaceous gout which was difficult to treat because of non-compliance with medications and lifestyle. He presented with inflammatory type low back and buttocks pain with raised inflammatory markers. MRI of the lower back and sacroiliac joints showed features of active sacroiliitis. He was subsequently treated with a Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) alpha inhibitor for presumed axial psoriatic arthritis and had no significant benefit. Two attempts DECT of the lumbar spine was not executed correctly. CT lumbar spine and SIJs showed L2/3 endplate and left SIJ erosions mostly related to gout. Rasburicase was introduced. The tophi decreased in size peripherally with marginal improvement in back pain. From this study, we want to bring to the attention of physicians that gout can lead to back pain with inflammatory changes on MRI. We also want to address the importance of other imaging modalities if the cause of the back pain is not clear. CONCLUSION: This case is meant to highlight an important but overlooked cause of active sacroililitis and inflammatory type back pain in patients who have gout, and to bring to the attention that plain X-ray, MRI and ultrasound cannot differentiate between inflammatory sacroiliitis caused by seronegative arthritis versus gouty arthritis. CT scan can add more information but DECT is the preferred method for differentiation and identification of axial tophaceous gout.

Radiographic findings after pubic symphysiotomy: mean time to follow-up of 41.6 years.

BACKGROUND: Pubic symphysiotomy is a rarely performed procedure in which the pubic symphysis is divided to facilitate vaginal delivery in cases of obstructed labor. Recently, many obstetricians have shown renewed interest in this procedure. The purpose of this paper is to report the long-term radiographic findings for patients who had undergone pubic symphysiotomy compared with the radiographic appearance of a group of age-matched and parity-matched controls. METHODS: This was a retrospective case-control study. Twenty-five women who had previously undergone pubic symphysiotomy for childbirth were compared with twenty-five age-matched and parity-matched controls. The radiographic parameters recorded included pubic symphysis width, pubic symphysis translation, grade of sacroiliac joint osteoarthritis, and presence of parasymphyseal degeneration. RESULTS: The mean time to follow-up after symphysiotomy was 41.6 years (range, twenty-two to fifty-five years). The symphysiotomy group had a significantly higher proportion of patients (80%) with high-grade sacroiliac joint osteoarthritis (Grade 3 or 4 according to the Kellgren and Lawrence osteoarthritis scoring system) than the control group (16%) (p < 0.001). Within the symphysiotomy group, patients with high-grade sacroiliac joint osteoarthritis tended to be older, have a longer time to follow-up, and have a larger pubic symphysis width. The control group had a higher prevalence of parasymphyseal degeneration than did the symphysiotomy group (p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Late-onset sacroiliac joint osteoarthritis secondary to pelvic instability was a major finding in this study and, to our knowledge, has not been discussed previously in the literature regarding pubic symphysiotomy.

Informatics in radiology: evaluation of an e-learning platform for teaching medical students competency in ordering radiologic examinations.

A preliminary audit of orders for computed tomography was performed to evaluate the typical performance of interns ordering radiologic examinations. According to the audit, the interns showed only minimal improvement after 8 months of work experience. The online radiology ordering module (ROM) program included baseline assessment of student performance (part I), online learning with the ROM (part II), and follow-up assessment of performance with simulated ordering with the ROM (part III). A curriculum blueprint determined the content of the ROM program, with an emphasis on practical issues, including provision of logistic information, clinical details, and safety-related information. Appropriate standards were developed by a committee of experts, and detailed scoring systems were devised for assessment. The ROM program was successful in addressing practical issues in a simulated setting. In the part I assessment, the mean score for noting contraindications for contrast media was 24%; this score increased to 59% in the part III assessment (P = .004). Similarly, notification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus status and pregnancy status and provision of referring physician contact information improved significantly. The quality of the clinical notes was stable, with good initial scores. Part III testing showed overall improvement, with the mean score increasing from 61% to 76% (P < .0001). In general, medical students lack the core knowledge that is needed for good-quality ordering of radiology services, and the experience typically afforded to interns does not address this lack of knowledge. The ROM program was a successful intervention that resulted in statistically significant improvements in the quality of radiologic examination orders, particularly with regard to logistic and radiation safety issues.

Traumatic injuries of the hip.

Traumatic lesions of the hip in athletes may be clinically challenging because of the overlap in clinical presentation due to differing pathologies and the presence of multiple injuries. Imaging of the hip in the athlete has undergone a recent resurgence of interest and understanding related to the increasing accessibility and use of hip arthroscopy, which expands the treatment options available for intra-articular pathology. MR imaging and MR arthrography have a unique role in diagnosis of these pathologies, guiding the surgeon, arthroscopist, and referring clinician in their management of bony and soft tissue injury.

MRA captures vasospasm in fatal migrainous infarction.

A 57-year-old woman presented with an escalation of her headaches which ultimately progressed to multiple strokes and death. MRI/MRA demonstrated diffuse vasospasm and other causes of stroke were excluded on premortem investigation and postmortem examination. Reversible MRI abnormalities, vasospasm on angiogram and fatal migrainous infarction have been previously reported; however, no previous case with this combination of clinical, imaging, and postmortem findings has been documented.