Spontaneous resolution of osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

Background: The decision to proceed with surgical treatment of asymptomatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head is controversial. The purpose of the present study was to determine (1) if spontaneous resolution of osteonecrosis of the femoral head occurs, (2) how long it takes for resolution to occur, and (3) if there are predictors of spontaneous resolution.

Methods: Patients with asymptomatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head were identified from two National Institutes of Health-funded screening studies: a prospective screening study for osteonecrosis of the femoral head after organ transplantation and a study in which patients who had had surgical treatment of symptomatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head were screened for osteonecrosis of the contralateral, asymptomatic hip.

Quantifying the extent of femoral head involvement in osteonecrosis.

Background: There are numerous methods for quantifying the extent of osteonecrosis of the femoral head. However, there is no consensus regarding which method is the most reliable. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability and prognostic accuracy of three commonly used methods for quantifying the extent of osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

The absent bow tie sign in bucket-handle tears of the menisci in the knee.

Objective: Bucket-handle tears of the menisci are one of the most frequently missed diagnoses in MR examinations of the knee. This article describes the "absent bow tie sign," which can be used to identify bucket-handle tears on routine MR examinations of the knee.

Materials And Methods: The arthroscopic surgical reports (n = 350) from a single orthopedic surgeon's practice during a 24-month period were examined for patients who had a diagnosis of bucket-handle tear and who underwent MR imaging before surgery (n = 32).

Skeletal coccidioidomycosis: imaging findings in 19 patients.

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the distribution and radiologic appearance of skeletal coccidioidomycosis in 19 documented cases.

Design And Patients: Medical records of 19 patients (17 men, 2 women; age range 17-62 years, mean age 34 years) with clinically confirmed skeletal coccidioidomycosis were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were studied with plain radiography (n = 19), skeletal scintigraphy (n = 6), computed tomography (CT) (n = 5), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (n = 1).

Semimembranosus-tibial collateral ligament bursitis: MR imaging findings.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the MR imaging characteristics of semimembranosus-tibial collateral ligament (SMTCL) bursitis.

Materials And Methods: Fifteen patients (37-68 years old) with medial joint pain and presumed internal derangements of the knee underwent MR imaging. Fluid collections around the SMTCL were found prospectively in five patients.