Effect of spinal segment variants on numbering vertebral levels at lumbar MR imaging.

Purpose: To verify iliolumbar ligament (ILL) location, to evaluate magnetic resonance (MR) imaging morphologic features for detecting lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (TVs) (LSTVs), and to determine whether transitional situations are associated with anomalous vertebral numbering.

Materials And Methods: Investigational review board approval was obtained for this HIPAA-compliant retrospective study. A review of 147 subjects was performed by using spine radiography as the reference standard to determine total and segmental vertebral count and transitional anatomy.

Bilateral emphysematous pyelonephritis combined with subcapsular hematoma and disseminated necrotizing fasciitis.

Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a rapidly progressive and potentially life-threatening necrotizing infection of the renal parenchyma characterized by the presence of gas. Bilateral EPN is a rare disease process with a high mortality rate. Bleeding associated with EPN is an extremely rare complication.

Advantages of real-time spatial compound sonography of the musculoskeletal system versus conventional sonography.

Objective: Spatial compound sonography is a method that obtains sonographic information from several different angles of insonation and combines them to produce a single image. By reducing speckle and improving definition of tissue planes, this method can potentially improve image quality in musculoskeletal sonography. The purpose of our study was to compare real-time spatial compound sonography with conventional high-resolution musculoskeletal sonography.