Images in clinical radiology. The geyser phenomenon in a long-standing rotator cuff tear.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A M De Schepper.
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The role of different imaging techniques in the assessment of musculoskeletal soft tissue infection will be reviewed in this article. As classification according to the causative agent is impossible with imaging, soft tissue infections will be classified in view of their location. Consecutively, musculoskeletal soft tissue infections of the joints, tendons and bursae, muscles, the skin and its related structures as well as infectious lymphadenitis and lymphangitis will be discussed.
We evaluated the role of MRI in the diagnosis of postoperative spondylodiscitis. Spondylodiscitis is a serious complication of surgery, and the diagnosis frequently depends on a combination of clinical, laboratory and imaging findings. We compared the MRI findings in six patients with biopsy- or surgery-proven spondylodiscitis with those in 38 asymptomatic postoperative patients. Contrast enhancement and signal changes in the intervertebral disc or the vertebral endplates are not specific for spondylodiscitis, being also seen in the asymptomatic patients. However, absence of Modic type 1 changes, of contrast enhancement of the disc or of enhancing paravertebral soft tissues suggests that the patient does not have spondylodiscitis. MRI appears more useful for exclusion than for confirmation of postoperative spondylodiscitis.
Proteus syndrome is a rare congenital hamartomatous syndrome with a variety of abnormalities. It shares many features with other congenital hamartomatous disorders, but cerebriform hyperplasia of the soles and the palms is known as a quite distinctive characteristic in the dermatologic literature. The purpose of this case report is to demonstrate the MRI features of plantar cerebriform hyperplasia in a 9-year-old boy with known Proteus syndrome.
Desmoplastic fibroma of bone is a very rare benign tumor, which may be locally aggressive. In contrast to the well-documented radiological appearance, the literature on MR imaging features of this tumor is scarce. The MR imaging characteristics in our case are compared to those previously reported. Although there is a considerable overlap in the MR imaging features with other bone tumors, an interesting MR feature of desmoplastic fibroma is the presence of low to intermediate signal intensity foci on T2-weighted images, which radiographically does not correspond to calcifications. This feature may help narrow the differential diagnosis.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate MR imaging and pathology findings in order to define the characteristic features of clear cell sarcoma of the soft tissues (malignant melanoma of the soft parts). DESIGN AND PATIENTS: MR examinations of 21 patients with histologically proven clear cell sarcoma of the musculoskeletal system were retrospectively reviewed and assessed for shape, homogeneity, delineation, signal intensities on T1- and T2-weighted images, contrast enhancement, relationship with adjacent fascia or tendon, secondary bone involvement, and intratumoral necrosis. In 19 cases the pathology findings were available for review and for a comparative MR-pathology study. RESULTS: On T1-weighted images, lesions were isointense (n=3), hypointense (n=7) or slightly hyperintense to muscle (n=11). Immunohistochemical examination was performed in 17 patients. All 17 specimens showed positivity for HMB-45 antibody. In nine of 11 lesions with slightly increased signal intensity on T1-weighted images, a correlative MR imaging-pathology study was possible. All nine were positive to HMB-45 antibody. CONCLUSIONS: Clear cell sarcoma of the musculoskeletal system often has a benign-looking appearance on MR images. In up to 52% of patients, this lesion with melanocytic differentiation has slightly increased signal intensity on T1-weighted images compared with muscle. As the presence of this relative higher signal intensity on T1-weighted images is rather specific for tumors displaying melanocytic differentiation, radiologists should familiarize themselves with this rare entity and include it in their differential diagnosis when confronted with a well-defined, homogeneous, strongly enhancing mass with slightly higher signal intensity compared with muscle on native T1-weighted images.
Although knowledge of basic genetics in the field of sclerosing bone dysplasias is progressing, the radiologist still plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis of this relatively poorly understood group of disorders. Based on a target site approach, these anomalies are classified into three groups. Within each group, further differentiation can be made by distinctive clinical findings and by mode of inheritance: (a) dysplasias of endochondral bone formation: osteopetrosis (Albers-Schönberg disease), pycnodysostosis, enostosis, osteopoikilosis, osteopathia striata (Voorhoeve disease); (b) dysplasias of intramembranous bone formation: progressive diaphyseal dysplasia (Camurati-Engelmann disease) and variants, hyperostosis corticalis generalisata (Van Buchem disease) and variants; and (c) mixed sclerosing dysplasias: melorheostosis (Leri disease) and overlap syndromes.
This article outlines the ability of MR imaging in staging, grading, tissue characterization, and posttherapeutic surveillance of soft tissue tumors. Well-known staging parameters, such as extent, relationship with adjacent structures, and detection of intralesional necrosis, are used in the MR protocol for locoregional staging. Bone scintigraphy and high-resolution CT scan of the lungs are best methods for ruling out metastatic spread. A variety of (solitary or combinations of) grading parameters are described in the radiological literature. The role of MR imaging is to afford recognition of these lesions that need further aggressive work-up, excluding all others. Despite controversial reports, the definite role of MR imaging in grading of soft tissue tumors seems to become established. As for grading, a lot of individual imaging characteristics used for tissue characterization have low sensitivity, but combinations of parameters (age, site, signal intensities) are more useful and often allow to predict a specific diagnosis or to narrow down the list of differential diagnoses. Local recurrences of soft tissue tumors are frequent and can be detected accurately by an easy-to-use MR algorithm.
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We report a case of a primary amyloidoma of the skull base. Plain radiography and CT showed a lytic, highly destructive lesion with multiple scattered calcifications within. MR imaging revealed that the tumor was isoto hypointense to muscle on T1-weighted images and extremely hypointense on T2-weighted images. In contrast to two previous reports, marked enhancement after the administration of contrast material was absent. Bone amyloidomas are very rare and are frequently misinterpreted as chondrosarcomas.
The problem of dynamic MR mammography remains its low specificity. Therefore, the examination is only useful when it is performed as a complementary examination and only for good indications. The aim of the study was to analyse the indications for MR mammography in 12 Belgian hospitals and to evaluate whether MRI was useful for these indications. The two most frequent reasons for which MR mammography was performed in these hospitals were a diagnostic problem after clinical examination, mammography and ultrasound, and differentiation between post-therapeutic changes and recurrent disease, both of which are good indications. MRI examinations in the 12 hospitals were useful in patients receiving the examination for a good indication. However, in the group of the known poor indications we see much false positive MRI results.
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Injuries to the facial bones, orbits and adjacent soft tissue structures are common. Despite the increasing safety precautions in modern cars, facial injury is very often caused by motor vehicle accidents. Severe trauma to the face is a strong indication for radiological investigation. In the patient with maxillo-facial trauma, the radiological exploration of should answer two major questions: do the fractures involve areas that may alter the physiologic function of the sinuses, mouth, nasal vault or orbit?, and will the fracture result in any cosmetically detectable abnormality? The goal of the radiological work-up is to define the number and exact location of the fractures, to determine if there is any depression, elevation, or distraction of the fracture fragments, and to assess concomitant soft tissue complications. In this article, we review the role of clinical evaluation, plain X-rays, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Imaging findings are correlated with anatomic and physiopathologic considerations. We present a practical classification system of facial trauma, with emphasis on trauma of the paranasal sinuses and facial bones (nasal and tripod fractures, Le Fort fractures) and orbits (foreign bodies, soft tissue and orbital wall injuries such as blow-in and blow-out-, lateral wall- and apical fractures). A third part focuses on trauma of the mandible and the temporomandibular joints.