The Copenhagen Standardised MRI protocol to assess the pubic symphysis and adductor regions of athletes: outline and intratester and intertester reliability.

Background: There is currently no standardised MRI evaluation protocol for athletes who present with symptoms that may relate to the pubic symphysis, the pubic bones, and the adductor muscle insertions. We outline the protocol and reliability data.

Material And Methods: Three musculoskeletal radiologists developed an 11-element MRI evaluation protocol defined according to precise criteria and illustrated in a pictorial atlas.

[Ultrasound reflecting the morphological properties in soft tissue].

Ultrasound (US) is an image modality providing the examiner with real-time images which reflect the morphological properties in soft tissue. Different types of transducers are used for different kind of exams. US is cheap, fast, and safe.

Imaging in juvenile idiopathic arthritis with a focus on ultrasonography.

Early therapeutic intervention and use of new highly efficacious treatments have improved the outcome in many patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), but have also led to the need for more precise methods to evaluate disease activity. In adult rheumatology, numerous studies have established the importance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography (US), and MRI is considered the reference standard. Nevertheless, due to differences in disease characteristics and the unique features of the growing skeleton, the findings obtained in adults are not directly applicable to children and adolescents.

Comparison of ultrasonography with Doppler and MRI for assessment of disease activity in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a pilot study.

Background: In juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), the trend towards early therapeutic intervention and the development of new highly effective treatments have increased the need for sensitive and specific imaging. Numerous studies have demonstrated the important role of MRI and US in adult rheumatology. However, investigations of imaging in JIA are rare, and no previous study has been comparing MRI with Doppler ultrasonography (US) for assessment of arthritis.

Ultrasonography and color Doppler in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: diagnosis and follow-up of ultrasound-guided steroid injection in the wrist region. A descriptive interventional study.

Background: The wrist region is one of the most complex joints of the human body. It is prone to deformity and functional impairment in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and is difficult to examine clinically. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of ultrasonography (US) with Doppler in diagnosis of synovitis, guidance of steroid injections, and follow-up examinations of the wrist in JIA.

Clinical indications for musculoskeletal ultrasound: a Delphi-based consensus paper of the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology.

Objective: To develop clinical guidelines for musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSKUS) referral in Europe.

Methods: Sixteen musculoskeletal radiologists from seven European countries participated in a consensus-based interactive process (Delphi method) using consecutive questionnaires and consensus procedure meetings at several European radiology meetings. The evaluation of musculoskeletal diseases was established by literature reviews, followed by consensus on clinical utility in three consensus meetings.

Ultrasonography and color Doppler of proximal gluteal enthesitis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a descriptive study.

Background: The presence of enthesitis (insertional inflammation) in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is difficult to establish clinically and may influence classification and treatment of the disease. We used ultrasonography (US) and color Doppler (CD) imaging to detect enthesitis at the small and deep-seated proximal insertion of the gluteus medius fascia on the posterior iliac crest where clinical diagnosis is difficult. The findings in JIA patients were compared with those obtained in healthy controls and with the patients' MRI results.

Ultrasonography and color Doppler in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: diagnosis and follow-up of ultrasound-guided steroid injection in the ankle region. A descriptive interventional study.

Background: The ankle region is frequently involved in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) but difficult to examine clinically due to its anatomical complexity. The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of ultrasonography (US) of the ankle and midfoot (ankle region) in JIA. Doppler-US detected synovial hypertrophy, effusion and hyperemia and US was used for guidance of steroid injection and to assess treatment efficacy.

Imaging of neuropathies about the ankle and foot.

Neuropathies about the ankle and foot may be the cause of chronic pain and disability. In most cases, these conditions derive from mechanical or dynamic compression of a segment of a nerve within a narrow osteofibrous tunnel, an opening in a fibrous structure, or a passageway close to a ligament or a muscle. Although the evaluation of nerve disorders primarily relies on neurological examination and electrophysiology, diagnostic imaging is currently used as a complement to help define the site and etiology of nerve compression and exclude other disease possibly underlying the patient' symptoms.

Pseudoaneurysm of the posterior circumflex humeral artery diagnosed by sonography.

We report a rare case of a pseudoaneurysm of the posterior circumflex humeral artery, probably related to a steroid injection in the shoulder 3 months earlier. The clinical presentation was atypical and the location not previously described in the literature. The patient was referred with a painless, nonpulsatile mass in the posterior shoulder region and was suspected of a malignant soft-tissue tumor.

Rheumatoid arthritis bone erosion volumes on CT and MRI: reliability and correlations with erosion scores on CT, MRI and radiography.

Objectives: To investigate intramodality and intermodality agreements of CT and MRI erosion volumes in metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to compare the volumes with erosion scores for CT, MRI and radiography.

Methods: In total, 17 patients with RA and four healthy controls underwent unilateral CT, MRI and radiography of second to fifth MCP joints in one hand. Erosion volumes (using OSIRIS software) and scores were determined from CT, MRI and radiography (scores only).

Are bone erosions detected by magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography true erosions? A comparison with computed tomography in rheumatoid arthritis metacarpophalangeal joints.

The objective of the study was, with multidetector computed tomography (CT) as the reference method, to determine whether bone erosions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints detected with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography (US), but not with radiography, represent true erosive changes. We included 17 RA patients with at least one, previously detected, radiographically invisible MCP joint MRI erosion, and four healthy control individuals. They all underwent CT, MRI, US and radiography of the 2nd to 5th MCP joints of one hand on the same day.

Ultrasonography of the metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints in rheumatoid arthritis: a comparison with magnetic resonance imaging, conventional radiography and clinical examination.

Signs of inflammation and destruction in the finger joints are the principal features of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There are few studies assessing the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography in detecting these signs. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether ultrasonography can provide information on signs of inflammation and destruction in RA finger joints that are not available with conventional radiography and clinical examination, and comparable to the information provided by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Sonography of the knee: intra-articular pathology.

MRI is the gold-standard imaging technique for evaluation of the intra-articular structures of the knee, and the use of sonography remains controversial. Sonography nevertheless is a useful alternative in several conditions: Inflammatory joint diseases, where it is appropriate for early diagnosis and follow-up of joint effusion and synovitis; peri-articular masses, where it is the best modality for guidance of needle puncture or biopsy; suspected meniscus or ligament lesion, where it may provide a positive diagnosis but is not sufficient to exclude intra-articular lesions; and loose bodies, where it is an outstanding modality for diagnosing lesions not evident on radiographs.

Ultrasonography of the metatarsophalangeal joints in rheumatoid arthritis: comparison with magnetic resonance imaging, conventional radiography, and clinical examination.

Objective: To compare ultrasonography (US) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), conventional radiography, and clinical examination in the evaluation of bone destruction and signs of inflammation in the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Two hundred MTP joints of 40 patients with RA and 100 MTP joints of 20 healthy control subjects were assessed with B-mode US, contrast-enhanced MRI, conventional radiography, and clinical examination for signs of bone destruction and joint inflammation.

Results: With MRI considered the reference method, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of US for the detection of bone erosions were 0.

Interobserver agreement in ultrasonography of the finger and toe joints in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To evaluate the interobserver agreement of ultrasonographic assessment of finger and toe joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by 2 investigators with different medical backgrounds.

Methods: Ultrasonography and clinical examination were performed on 150 small joints of 30 patients with active RA. A General Electric LOGIQ 500 ultrasound unit with a 7-13-MHz linear array transducer was used.

Contrast-enhanced power Doppler ultrasonography of the metacarpophalangeal joints in rheumatoid arthritis.

The aim of this study was to examine, with dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI as the reference, if contrast-enhanced power Doppler ultrasonography (CE PDUS) of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints provides additional information for evaluation of synovial inflammation compared with PDUS. One MCP joint in each of 15 RA patients and 3 healthy control persons were examined with PDUS before and after intravenous bolus Levovist contrast injection. Corresponding rates of early synovial enhancement (RESE), previously shown to be closely related to histopathological synovitis, were calculated from dynamic contrast-enhanced MR images obtained the same day.