Magnetic resonance angiography for the evaluation of vascular injury in knee dislocations.

Knee dislocations can cause extensive soft tissue disruption including vascular insufficiency to the leg secondary to popliteal artery injury. Physical exam may miss vascular injury and possible late occlusion, but there is controversy regarding use of angiography to evaluate patients after dislocation. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has been shown to be equally effective as angiography in evaluating vascular injury and to have fewer complications than angiography.

Biomechanical comparison of single-row arthroscopic rotator cuff repair technique versus transosseous repair technique.

This study determined the effect of tear size on gap formation of single-row simple-suture arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) vs transosseous Mason-Allen suture open RCR (ORCR) in 13 pairs of human cadaveric shoulders. A massive tear was created in 6 pairs and a large tear in 7. Repairs were cyclically tested in low-load and high-load conditions, with no significant difference in gap formation.

The diagnostic value of MRI in foot and ankle surgery.

Background: MRI is being used with increasing frequency and seems to have become more popular as a screening tool rather than as an adjunct to narrow specific diagnoses or plan operative interventions. Our hypothesis was that the rising accessibility of this test may be resulting in its overuse.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 221 consecutive patients referred over a 3-month period for treatment of a lower extremity problem to determine: (1) the number of patients who presented with an MRI already obtained from an outside source, (2) the number of patients who obtained an MRI from the foot and ankle specialist after referral, and (3) the number of times the foot and ankle specialist used these studies or found them helpful in the care of the patient.