3-D joint space mapping at the ankle from weight-bearing CT: reproducibility, repeatability, and challenges for standardisation.

Objectives: We present a 3-D approach to joint space width (JSW) measurement across the ankle from weight-bearing CT (WBCT) to demonstrate inter-operator reproducibility, test-retest repeatability, and how differences in angulation affect ankle JSW distribution.

Methods: One side from repeat WBCT imaging of both feet and ankles was analysed from 23 individuals as part of their routine clinical care pathway. Joint space mapping was performed at four facets across the talus: talonavicular, talar dome and medial gutter (dome-medial), lateral gutter, and posterior subtalar.

Academic clinical fellows in radiology: how can we improve success?

Aim: To survey past and current radiology academic clinical fellows (ACFs) for feedback on their experiences, academic achievements, challenges faced in balancing academic and clinical responsibilities, and opinion on how to optimise the fellowship programme.

Materials & Methods: A 26-question online survey approved by the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) Academic Committee was distributed over a 7-month period (June 2021 to January 2022) to current and past radiology ACFs via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) integrated academic training imaging leads, radiology training programme directors, and social media.

Results: Thirty-five survey responses were received from past or present ACFs.

Weight-bearing cone-beam CT: the need for standardised acquisition protocols and measurements to fulfill high expectations-a review of the literature.

Weight bearing CT (WBCT) of the lower extremity is gaining momentum in evaluation of the foot/ankle and knee. A growing number of international studies use WBCT, which is promising for improving our understanding of anatomy and biomechanics during natural loading of the lower extremity. However, we believe there is risk of excessive enthusiasm for WBCT leading to premature application of the technique, before sufficiently robust protocols are in place e.

Multiparametric 3-D analysis of bone and joint space width at the knee from weight bearing computed tomography.

Objective: Computed tomography (CT) can deliver multiple parameters relevant to osteoarthritis. In this study we demonstrate that a 3-D multiparametric approach at the weight bearing knee with cone beam CT is feasible, can include multiple parameters from across the joint space, and can reveal stronger relationships with disease status in combination.

Design: 33 participants with knee weight bearing CT (WBCT) were analysed with joint space mapping and cortical bone mapping to deliver joint space width (JSW), subchondral bone plate thickness, endocortical thickness, and trabecular attenuation at both sides of the joint.

PHOENIX (Picking up Hidden Osteoporosis Effectively during Normal CT Imaging without additional X-rays): protocol for a randomised, multicentre feasibility study.

Introduction: Two million out of the UK's 5 million routine diagnostic CT scans performed each year incorporate the thoracolumbar spine or pelvic region. Up to one-third reveal undiagnosed osteoporosis or vertebral fractures. We developed an intervention, Picking up Hidden Osteoporosis Effectively during Normal CT Imaging without additional X-rays ('PHOENIX'), to facilitate early detection and management of osteoporosis in people attending hospitals for CT scans.

Subchondral bone changes after joint distraction treatment for end stage knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: Increased subchondral cortical bone plate thickness and trabecular bone density are characteristic of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Knee joint distraction (KJD) is a joint-preserving knee OA treatment where the joint is temporarily unloaded. It has previously shown clinical improvement and cartilage regeneration, indicating reversal of OA-related changes.

What is the effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation in the management of patients with spinal metastases? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Spinal metastases are indicative of progressive cancer which can lead to vertebral body fractures and spinal cord compression. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatment is infrequently used in patients with refractory pain. The aim of this systematic review is to determine the clinical efficacy of RFA, with the scope of using it as front-line management of spinal metastases.

Knee joint distraction results in MRI cartilage thickness increase up to 10 years after treatment.

Objectives: Knee joint distraction (KJD) has been shown to result in long-term clinical improvement and short-term cartilage restoration in young OA patients. The objective of the current study was to evaluate MRI cartilage thickness up to 10 years after KJD treatment, using a 3D surface-based approach.

Methods: Twenty end-stage knee OA patients were treated with KJD.

Non-contrast MRI of synovitis in the knee using quantitative DESS.

Objectives: To determine whether synovitis graded by radiologists using hybrid quantitative double-echo in steady-state (qDESS) images can be utilized as a non-contrast approach to assess synovitis in the knee, compared against the reference standard of contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI).

Methods: Twenty-two knees (11 subjects) with moderate to severe osteoarthritis (OA) were scanned using CE-MRI, qDESS with a high diffusion weighting (qDESS), and qDESS with a low diffusion weighting (qDESS). Four radiologists graded the overall impression of synovitis, their diagnostic confidence, and regional grading of synovitis severity at four sites (suprapatellar pouch, intercondylar notch, and medial and lateral peripatellar recesses) in the knee using a 4-point scale.

Quantitative Three-dimensional Assessment of Knee Joint Space Width from Weight-bearing CT.

Background Imaging of structural disease in osteoarthritis has traditionally relied on MRI and radiography. Joint space mapping (JSM) can be used to quantitatively map joint space width (JSW) in three dimensions from CT images. Purpose To demonstrate the reproducibility, repeatability, and feasibility of JSM of the knee using weight-bearing CT images.

The Segond fracture occurs at the site of lowest sub-entheseal trabecular bone volume fraction on the tibial plateau.

In a series of human cadaveric experiments, Dr. Paul Segond first described the avulsion injury occurring at the anterolateral tibial plateau that later took his name. The fracture is thought to arise as a consequence of excessive tibia internal rotation which often also elicits damage to other connective tissue of the knee.

Three-Dimensional Surface-Based Analysis of Cartilage MRI Data in Knee Osteoarthritis: Validation and Initial Clinical Application.

Background: Traditional quantitative analysis of cartilage with MRI averages measurements (eg, thickness) across regions-of-interest (ROIs) which may reduce responsiveness.

Purpose: To validate and describe clinical application of a semiautomated surface-based method for analyzing cartilage relaxation times ("composition") and morphology on MRI, 3D cartilage surface mapping (3D-CaSM).

Study Type: Validation study in cadaveric knees and prospective observational (cohort) study in human participants.

Quantitative 3D imaging parameters improve prediction of hip osteoarthritis outcome.

Osteoarthritis is an increasingly important health problem for which the main treatment remains joint replacement. Therapy developments have been hampered by a lack of biomarkers that can reliably predict disease, while 2D radiographs interpreted by human observers are still the gold standard for clinical trial imaging assessment. We propose a 3D approach using computed tomography-a fast, readily available clinical technique-that can be applied in the assessment of osteoarthritis using a new quantitative 3D analysis technique called joint space mapping (JSM).

Perilunate injuries: biomechanics, imaging, and classification.

Perilunate injuries are uncommon injuries that are often misdiagnosed. Although conventional radiographs can underestimate the severity of the perilunate injuries, assessment with cross-sectional imaging can be complex, and terminology is inconsistent in the scientific literature. The aim of this paper is to describe the biomechanics, anatomy, and classification of perilunate trauma in order to provide a systematic approach to the description and diagnosis of these injuries.

A new quantitative 3D approach to imaging of structural joint disease.

Imaging of joints with 2D radiography has not been able to detect therapeutic success in research trials while 3D imaging, used regularly in the clinic, has not been approved for this purpose. We present a new 3D approach to this challenge called joint space mapping (JSM) that measures joint space width in 3D from standard clinical computed tomography (CT) data, demonstrating its analysis steps, technical validation, and reproducibility. Using high resolution peripheral quantitative CT as gold standard, we show a marginal over-estimation in accuracy of +0.

Focal osteoporosis defects play a key role in hip fracture.

Background: Hip fractures are mainly caused by accidental falls and trips, which magnify forces in well-defined areas of the proximal femur. Unfortunately, the same areas are at risk of rapid bone loss with ageing, since they are relatively stress-shielded during walking and sitting. Focal osteoporosis in those areas may contribute to fracture, and targeted 3D measurements might enhance hip fracture prediction.

Cortical bone assessed with clinical computed tomography at the proximal femur.

Hip fractures are the most serious of all fragility fractures in older people of both sexes. Trips, stumbles, and falls result in fractures of the femoral neck or trochanter, and the incidence of these two common fractures is increasing worldwide as populations age. Although clinical risk factors and chance are important in causation, the ability of a femur to resist fracture also depends on the size and spatial distribution of the bone, its intrinsic material properties, and the loads applied.