Frederico Celestino Miranda

Objectives To determine whether MRI can differentiate hips with nonspecific inflammatory conditions from controls based on measurements of the capsule and to identify the most significant measurements. Methods In this retrospective and case–control study, we reviewed hip MRIs containing the term “capsulitis” in the reports. Cases with other known diagnoses or confounding joint pathologies were excluded. Controls were asymptomatic hips with normal laboratory results. Three musculoskeletal radiologists independently reviewed the studies, assessing for qualitative (edema, enhancement, effusion, synovitis, and subjective thickening) and quantitative (capsular thickness in standardized planes) parameters. Interobserver agreement, group comparisons, and optimal cutoffs were analyzed. Results The final study group comprised 38 cases, and the control group included 51 matched subjects. Inter-reader agreement was moderate to excellent. For capsular thickness, ICC ranged from 0.49 (posterior sagittal) to 0.87 (anterior sagittal). For qualitative findings, kappa ranged from 0.59 (capsular enhancement) to 0.84 (joint effusion), the greatest being capsular thickening and effusion. All planes showed significantly larger capsular thickness in cases vs. controls (p < 0.05). Sensitivity reached 85.2% for anterior sagittal measurement (mean, 6.27 vs. 4.58 mm), and specificity reached 84% for lateral coronal (6.53 vs. 4.13 mm). Among cases, capsular signal abnormality was observed in 89.2% of cases, pericapsular edema in 91.9%, capsular enhancement in 97.3%, pericapsular enhancement in 94.6%, joint effusion in 81.1%, synovitis in 89.2%, and capsular thickening in 100% of cases. Conclusions Our study reveals increased hip capsular thickness in nonspecific inflammatory conditions of the hip (capsulitis), both for qualitative and quantitative assessments.

Plantar vein thrombosis (PVT) is an underdiagnosed condition affecting the deep plantar veins, with challenging clinical diagnosis, often presenting with non-specific symptoms that mimic other foot pathologies. This study assessed the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of patients diagnosed with PVT to contribute to the understanding of this condition. We performed the comprehensive analysis of a substantial dataset, including 112 patients, with a total of 130 positive MRI scans (86 of the forefoot and 44 of the ankle) presenting with PVT. Upon evaluating all the veins of the feet, we observed a higher frequency of involvement of the lateral plantar veins (53.1%) when compared to the medial veins (3.8%). The most affected vascular segments in the forefeet were the plantar metatarsal veins (45.4%), the plantar venous arch (38.5%), and the plantar communicating veins (25.4%). The characteristic findings on MRI were perivascular edema (100%), muscular edema (86.2%), venous ectasia (100%), perivascular enhancement (100%), and intravenous filling defects (97.7%). Our study provides valuable insights into the imaging evaluation of PVT and shows that MRI is a reliable resource for such diagnosis.

Plantar vein thrombosis is a venous disorder affecting deep plantar veins that can manifest with non-specific localized pain, plantar foot pain, swelling, and sensation of fullness. Plantar veins are not routinely assessed during sonographic scans for deep venous thrombosis, which makes plantar venous thrombosis a commonly missed diagnosis. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the venous anatomy of the foot and imaging findings of plantar venous thrombosis as well as discusses the current literature on the topic and its differential diagnoses.

Highlights Participants presenting acute ankle sprains (<15 days) were divided into low-grade versus high-grade sprain, according to the presence of a complete tear in at least one component of lateral ligament complex. High-grade ankle sprains group presented increased rates of medial malleolus bone bruise, deltoid ligament tears, extensor retinaculum lesions, and articular effusion. Thecalcaneonaviculardistancewasstatisticallyshorterin patients with high-grade sprains (median, 3.0mm) when compared to those with low-grade sprains (median, 4.0mm). INTRODUCTION Ankle fractures and sprains are extremely common injuries, among the

To determine the value of ultrasonography in elbow ligament assessment compared to magnetic resonance imaging. A prospective single-center study involving 30 volunteers with no elbow joint changes. Two experienced ultrasound specialists evaluated both elbows of each volunteer, resulting in 60 evaluations per physician and totaling up 120 evaluations. Magnetic resonance images were obtained using a 3-Tesla machine and evaluated by two experienced radiologists, totaling up 120 exams. Each examiner assigned subjective, zero-to-5 scores to ligaments imaged, where zero corresponded to non-identified ligament and 5 to visualization of the entire ligament. The level of significance was set at 5%. Bland-Altman dispersions and plots were prepared for each pair of measurements obtained. All ligaments were amenable to sonographic identification; scores of 4 or 5 were assigned by examiners based on ligament visibility. Ligaments could also be identified using magnetic resonance imaging and were assigned scores of 5 by examiners. All ligaments were described as intact and healthy by all four examiners. Comparative analysis of elbow ligament sonographic and magnetic resonance imaging findings did not differ significantly. Ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging can be considered equivalent modalities for elbow ligament assessment in the hands of experienced examiners.

Focal bone lesions are not uncommon findings in the daily practice of radiology. Therefore, it is essential to differentiate between lesions with aggressive, malignant potential that require action and those that have no clinical significance, many of which are variants or benign lesions, sometimes self-limited and related to reactive processes. In some cases, a diagnostic error can have catastrophic results. For example, a biopsy performed in a patient with myositis ossificans can lead to an incorrect diagnosis of sarcomatous lesions and consequently to mutilating surgical procedures. The present study reviews the main radiological aspects of the lesions that are most commonly seen in daily practice and have the potential to be confused with aggressive, malignant bone processes. We also illustrate these entities by presenting cases seen at our institution.