Lateral epicondyle to the joint line distance is a precise landmark for determination of an accurate knee joint line: an observational retrospective study.

PURPOSE: To assess a quantitative and reproducible association between the position of the knee joint line and recognizable anatomical landmarks around it in order to help in restoring joint line in arthroplasty cases. METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 130 normal knees were investigated. Anatomical measurements of the knee joint distances on the obtained planes were performed manually by distance measurements using a ruler tool, followed by 6 anatomical bony landmarks determination about the knee to identify the joint line which included the joint line, medial epicondyle, lateral epicondyle, medial flare, lateral flare, and proximal tibiofibular joint. The entire process was examined twice by two independent fellowship trained musculoskeletal radiologists, with a 2-week interval between the first and second sets of readings. RESULTS: The lateral epicondyle to the joint line of the knee (LEJL) could be a reliable landmark for accurate distance measurements for the knee joint line level, with an absolute distance of 24.4 ± 2.8 mm. The analysis showed that the femorotibial ratio between the LEJL and proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) was 1.0 (LEJL/PTFJJL = 1.0 ± 0.1), confirming the location of the knee joint at the midpoint between the lateral epicondyle and PTFJ, revealing two identifiable landmarks. CONCLUSIONS: LEJL is the most precise landmark for determination of an accurate knee joint line because the knee is located at the midline between the lateral epicondyle and PTFJ. These reproducible quantitative relationships can be widely employed in various imaging modalities to help restore the knee JL in arthroplasty surgeries.

Radiological outcome of bone disease in multiple myeloma patients pre- and post therapy: A single center experience.

OBJECTIVES: To find any correlation between the clinical response as per International Working Myeloma Group (IWMG) response criteria and the radiological response at the end of treatment. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, total of 39 patients whom diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM) between January 2010 and December 2018 and fulfilled the study criteria were included. RESULTS: The high sensitivity and specificity of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in detecting osteolytic myeloma lesions in the bones was strongly emphasized in our study. Follow up PET/CT, we found that while 17 patients showed complete remission in PET/CT, and 14 of these of patients demonstrated a complete clinical response at end of therapy assessment. CONCLUSION: Although we did not find a statistically significant correlation between the response versus metabolic activity and the number of bone/bone marrow lesions, however, our study was limited by the absence of clear criteria for defining disease response in PET/CT in MM patients. Further prospective analysis would be needed to establish a defined criterion.

The effect of gender, age, and body mass index on the medial and lateral posterior tibial slopes: a magnetic resonance imaging study.

BACKGROUND: The posterior tibial slope (PTS) is crucial in knee joint stability and in maintaining the natural movement of the knee. An increase in the PTS is associated with various knee pathologic conditions, such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and anterior tibial translation (ATT). In the present study, we aimed to establish native medial and lateral PTS values for adult Saudis and to identify any association between PTS and gender, age, and body mass index (BMI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 285 consecutive, normal, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of the knee were included in the study. The PTS was measured using the proximal anatomical axis of the tibia. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the medial and lateral PTS angles between age groups. The difference between the medial and lateral posterior tibial slopes was assessed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The Mann-Whitney U test was performed to compare the medial and lateral PTS angles between men and women. Age, gender, and BMI were analyzed by multivariate linear regression to determine whether they positively predict the medial and lateral PTS angles. RESULTS: The mean physiological medial PTS was 5.86 ± 3.0° and 6.61 ± 3.32°, and the lateral PTS was 4.41 ± 3.35° and 4.63 ± 2.85° in men and women, respectively. This difference showed no statistically significant gender dimorphism (p > 0.05). The medial PTS was significantly larger than the lateral PTS (p < 0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference in the medial and lateral PTS angles between age groups (p > 0.05). Higher BMI was significantly associated with a steeper medial PTS (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study provided native values for medial and lateral PTS angles in Saudis, which can assist surgeons in maintaining normal knee PTS during surgery. The PTS was not influenced by age. The medial PTS was significantly larger than the lateral PTS in men and women. The PTS showed no significant gender dimorphism. BMI was significantly associated with the medial PTS.

Temporomandibular joint involvement in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: A single tertiary-center experience.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical and laboratory characteristic, state the treatment and outcome of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and describe temporomandibular joint (TMJ) involvement as observed in a large tertiary center. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study of children diagnosed with JIA was assessed at King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2015-2019), which included a descriptive analysis of children who had TMJ involvement among our study group. Subjects diagnosed with the TMJ arthritis were based either on clinical musculoskeletal examination or using contrast-enhanced MRI. RESULTS: We reviewed 123 cases with different JIA subtypes (57% females). The most frequent subtype is the oligoarticular (36%). TMJ involvement was found in 16% (n=20/123) of the patients, of whom 45% had Polyarticular JIA. The rheumatoid factor was positive in 25%; antinuclear antibody (ANA) in 45% and none showed positivity to HLAB27. Treatment resulted in complete resolution in 95% of cases, while Micrognathia and obstructive sleep apnea were the complications reported in 5% of cases. CONCLUSION: TMJ involvement in JIA is not uncommon. Females with polyarticular disease were more frequently affected with TMJ arthritis. Positive ANA could be a risk factor for TMJ involvement, while positive HLAB27 might have some protective effects. Early treatment for TMJ arthritis is essential to avoid possible complications.