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H K Genant

Publications and source records attributed to H K Genant.

At least 361 records · Page 20Linked to original sources

An examination of the association between vertebral deformities, physical disabilities and psychosocial problems.

In order to measure the clinical consequences of spinal osteoporosis, we correlated a number of physical and psychosocial dysfunctions with the degree of vertebral deformity in 204 women aged 55-75 yr. We employed 5 standardized questionnaire instruments: the physical dimension of the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), an analog back pain scale, a 24-question instrument eliciting back-related disabilities, and assessments of self-esteem and mastery. Using these results as the dependent variables, we performed 5 separate stepwise regression analyses; independent variables were vertebral deformity score and 11 possible confounders. Using Pearson correlation coefficients, we found a high degree of correlation between each of the 5 primary outcome variables. Vertebral deformity score played a small but statistically significant role in the 3 models whose dependent variable was related to physical dysfunction, but it accounted for only 4-10% of the variance of these models. Mastery and self-esteem were related to overall poor health and attendant physical disabilities but not to vertebral deformity score. In this selected cohort of women, the occurrence of mild to moderate vertebral deformities caused little loss of physical function or function of psychosocial problems because of vertebral deformity. Although we were able to demonstrate a statistically significant handicap related to the total vertebral deformity score, several other clinical variables appeared to have a greater impact.

Aged↗

[Magnetic resonance tomography in spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis].

40 patients with spondylolisthesis and/or spondylolysis were studied by magnetic resonance imaging (MR), 12 of whom with correlation to CT. CT proved to be more sensitive in detecting pars defects than MR. Sagittal MR, however, was more accurate in assessing spondylolisthesis than axial CT. At present, CT is superior to MR in demonstrating bony abnormalities. MR appears indicated in the patient undergoing spinal fusion in whom detection of intervertebral disc degeneration in the levels above or below intended fusion may lead to extension of fusion to the degenerated levels. Lack of ionizing radiation makes MR an ideal diagnostic method in evaluating spondylolisthesis in children and adolescents.

Adult↗

[3-dimensional computed tomography and multiplanar CT-reformations in lumbar spondylodesis].

Three-dimensional computed tomography (3-D-CT) and multiplanar CT reformations were performed in 42 patients who were clinically suspected of spinal instability following posterior lumbar fusion. Sagittal and coronal CT reformations demonstrated fusion pseudarthrosis more frequently than axial CT or conventional radiography. Three-dimensional CT cuts through the fusion revealed pseudarthrosis in most patients with positive 2-D images. In 5 patients, however, fusion appeared to be artifactually stable or unstable on 3-D cuts contrasting the 2-D images. Three-dimensional surface reconstructions demonstrated the complex anatomy of the fusion and showed superficial breaks. They were helpful in preoperative planning as well as intraoperative localization. 3-D-CT is a clinically useful adjunctive imaging method.

Adult↗

Functional dynamics of the knee joint by ultrafast, cine-CT.

An ultrafast, cine-CT scanner was used to demonstrate the differential mobility of the lateral and medial femoral condyles on their respective tibial plateaus in cadaver knees and to show the kinematic type of motion of the knee joint. Current imaging techniques cannot accomplish this because they do not perform combined quantitative, tomographic, and dynamic studies. Accordingly, this preliminary report presents the data from cine-CT scans of 12 normal intact adult cadaver knees. Scans were obtained at the rate of 14 or 17 per second at 50 or 100 ms exposures through midsagittal planes of the medial and lateral condyles and intercondylar notch. The cine-CT scans were displayed on a CRT and analyzed as closed-loop movies and as isolated images. Each cadaver femoral condyle demonstrated a different combined rolling and gliding motion. Preliminary results on the cadaver knee suggest the lateral femoral condyle moved 2.3 times further on the tibial plateau than its medial counterpart. The percentage of rolling for the lateral condyle was 43%-49%; the percentage of gliding was 51%-57%, with a ratio of rolling to gliding of 1:1.2. The percentage of rolling for the medial condyle was 16%-26%; the percentage of gliding 74%-84% with a ratio of rolling to gliding of 1:3.8. The femoral condyles, tibia, and cruciate ligaments acted as a crossed four-bar linkage in concordance with kinematic theory. The applicability of the cadaver knee results to patient dynamics and diagnosis cannot be determined from this study and awaits further investigations on the in vivo knee. However, ultrafast cine-CT demonstrated the complex knee motion in the cadaver knee joint.

Adult↗

Three-dimensional computed tomography and multiplanar reformations in the assessment of pseudarthrosis in posterior lumbar fusion patients.

Three-dimensional (3-D) surface reconstructions and multiplanar computed tomography (CT) reformations were obtained in 30 patients with clinically suspected spinal fusion pseudarthrosis. The imaging studies were blind-reviewed and the results were compared with the clinical and surgical findings. Sagittal, planar, and curved coronal two-dimensional (2-D) reformations were more useful in the detection of bony nonunion than were axial CT scans, as the latter required more extensive analysis. Three-dimensional surface "cuts" adequately demonstrated pseudarthrosis in most cases. In some instances, however, segmentation artifacts created artifactual clefts or implied solidity, which contrasted with the interpretation of the 2-D images. Sagittal 3-D cuts were helpful in demonstrating bony central and lateral stenosis. Three-dimensional surface reconstructions demonstrated superficial clefts and outlined the complex anatomy of the spinal fusions, thus facilitating pre- and intraoperative planning. The amount of bone stock available for pseudarthrosis repair at the fusion site and the need for additional harvesting of bone from the iliac crest also could be assessed easily. 3-D CT proved to be useful as an adjunctive imaging method in the evaluation of posterior lumbar fusion patients suspected of pseudarthrosis.

Adult↗

Avascular necrosis of the femoral head: high-field-strength MR imaging with histologic correlation.

Magnetic resonance (MR) images, contact radiographs, and histologic sections of six femoral head specimens with avascular necrosis were correlated. A low-signal-intensity band or ring represented the repair tissue interface surrounding a high-signal-intensity necrotic marrow segment. Large segmental areas of low signal intensity were observed on T1-weighted images when the lesion consisted of necrotic bone with amorphous marrow debris and adjacent thickened trabecular bone with mesenchymal repair tissue infiltration. On intermediate-weighted images, however, mesenchymal repair tissue, which was located inferior to the necrotic zone, increased markedly in signal intensity, permitting distinction from low-intensity necrotic bone with amorphous marrow debris. When trabecular thickening with collapse predominated, segmental areas of low signal intensity with both sequences were found. MR signal intensities used in combination with anatomic configuration and location may provide information of potential therapeutic importance regarding tissue composition and stage of disease.

Adult↗

[Comparative bone density measurements in healthy women and women with osteoporosis].

To compare methods of noninvasive measurement of bone mineral content, 40 healthy early postmenopausal women and 68 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis were studied. The methods included mono- and dual-energy quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and dual-photon absorptiometry (DPA) of the lumbar spine, single-photon absorptiometry (SPA) of the distal third of the radius, and combined cortical thickness (CCT) of the second metacarpal shaft. Lateral thoracolumbar radiographic studies were performed and the spinal fracture index calculated. There was good correlation between QCT and DPA methods in early postmenopausal women and moderate correlation in postmenopausal osteoporotic women. Correlations between spinal measurements (QCT or DPA) and appendicular cortical measurements (SPA or CCT) were moderate in healthy women and poor in osteoporotic women. Measurements resulting from one method were not predictive of measurements obtained by another method for individual patients. The strongest correlation with severity of vertebral fracture was provided by QCT and the weakest by SPA. There was good correlation between single- and dual-energy QCT results. Osteoporotic women and younger healthy women can be distinguished by the measurement of spinal trabecular bone density using QCT, and this method is more sensitive than the measurement of spinal integral bone by DPA or of appendicular cortical bone by SPA or CCT.

Adult↗

High resolution computed tomography of knee menisci.

Sixty four menisci in 22 patients were examined by non-contrast high resolution computed tomography (CT). Fifty four menisci were imaged on a GE 8800 CT scanner. The other 10 were imaged on a GE 9800 CT scanner. Nineteen menisci were shown to be torn on arthrography and/or arthroscopy--12 medially and 7 laterally. The remaining menisci were normal. When the meniscal CTs were reviewed collectively by three observers without knowledge of arthrographic or arthroscopic results, sensitivity was 63%, specificity was 93%, and accuracy was 84%. Although only 10 menisci were imaged on the GE 9800 scanner, the sensitivity in this subset of scans was 83%, the specificity 100%, and the accuracy was 90%. These results suggest that noncontrast CT cannot replace arthrography or arthroscopy, but it is possible that images obtained on the GE 9800 or comparable CT scanner may be accurate enough to be used for screening of meniscal tears in selected patients.

Adult↗

Importance of measurement of spongious vertebral bone mineral density in the assessment of osteoporosis.

Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) measurements of bone mineral density, volume, and content were made of the spongious and compact portions of a vertebral body and of the total vertebral body in 19 osteoporotic patients (13 women and 6 men) and 20 normal (control) age- and sex-matched patients. Specifically, CT scans of 10mm thick transverse sections of L2 or L3 of each osteoporotic and control patient were subjected to QCT bone measurement with the use of K2HPO4 calibration for converting CT values into units (mg/ml) equivalent to bone mineral density. In every instance, a significant difference was found in the spongious vertebral bone mineral density (and content) between the osteoporotic and the paired normal groups. Even when the total vertebral bone mineral content was normal, the spongious vertebral bone mineral density was significantly less in the osteoporotic patients. Only in the osteoporotic men was a difference in compact bone density (and content) found; the osteoporotic men had a significantly lower compact bone mineral than did the normal male patients. This study shows that QCT can be applied to measurement of bone mineral density (and content) of both the anterior spongious and the more dense compact vertebral bone from a single section of a lumbar vertebra and that it is the anterior, spongious, vertebral bone rather than the compact vertebral bone that exhibits the more severe decrease in bone mineral density (and content) due to osteoporosis.

Adult↗

Quantitative computed tomography in assessment of osteoporosis.

Computed tomography (CT) has been widely investigated and applied in recent years as a means for noninvasive quantitative bone mineral determination. The usefulness of computed tomography for measurement of bone mineral lies in its ability to provide a quantitative image and, thereby, measure trabecular, cortical, or integral bone, centrally or peripherally. For measuring the spine, the potential advantages of quantitative computed tomography (QCT) over dual-photon absorptiometry (DPA) are its capability for precise three-dimensional anatomic localization providing a direct density measurement, and its capability for spatial separation of highly responsive cancellous bone from less responsive compact bone. Currently, QCT vertebral mineral determination has been implemented at over 800 sites encompassing a wide geographic distribution and a wide array of commercial scanners. With a world-wide distribution of approximately 8,000 advanced CT body scanners, the capability now exists for widespread application of vertebral bone mineral determination by quantitative computed tomography. These QCT techniques for vertebral mineral determination have been used to study skeletal changes in osteoporosis and other metabolic bone diseases. Longitudinal and cross-sectional bone mass measurements have been obtained at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) in over 3,000 patients seen clinically or on research protocols. The results presented here illustrate the use of QCT spinal mineral measurement in the delineation of normal age-related bone loss, in the evaluation of estrogen effects on bone, in the assessment of fracture threshold and risk, and in the study of the effects of various exercise regimens on bone mineral and the determination of relationships to other techniques of bone mineral measurement. The laboratory and clinical results presented herein indicate that QCT provides a reliable means to evaluate and monitor the many forms of osteoporosis and the various interventions aimed at ameliorating this condition. The greatest advantages of spinal QCT for noninvasive bone mineral measurement lie in the high precision of the technique, the high sensitivity of the vertebral trabecular measurement site, and the potential for widespread application.

Aging↗

[Magnetic resonance tomography in the determination of the functional stability of posterolateral lumbar spondylodeses].

MR tomography was used to assess functional lumbar stability in 30 patients with posterolateral fusions. The vertebral bodies of 9 of the 12 patients with unstable lumbar fusions presented with areas of decreased signal intensity on T1- and intermediately weighted images, which increased on T2-weighting. The vertebrae of 15 of the 18 patients with stable fusions demonstrated zones of increased signal intensity on T1- and intermediately weighted images, which were less intense or invisible on T2-weighing. Surgical correlation was available in 11 of the 30 patients studied. Hyperemia and inflammation appear to be responsible for the abnormal signal intensities in the patients with stable fusions, whereas an increase in adipose marrow due to decreased biomechanical stress is thought to account for the atypical signal intensities in the vertebral bodies of the patients with stable fusions. MR tomography seems to be a potential method for evaluating functional lumbar fusion stability. MR tomography may be particularly helpful in those patients with multiple back surgeries and possible instability, recurrent disc herniation, or postoperative fibrosis. MR is recommended in the patient, who appears clinically unstable, whose radiographs and CT, however, do not demonstrate fusion failure.

Adult↗

Lipid/water ratio of bone marrow measured by phase-encoded proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Proton NMR spectroscopy (spatially resolved) at 0.7 Tesla with a whole body superconducting magnet was performed on bone marrow from human lumbar spine to measure the lipid/water ratio. Phase-encoded proton spectroscopy was performed by using (1) a spin-echo sequence with selective 90 degrees and 180 degrees rf pulses on the Z and X axes; (2) 64 different phase encodes along the Y axis; and (3) echo acquisition with no gradient. The lipid/water ratios also were measured by the Folch chemical extraction technique. The set of phase-encoded spectra obtained from the spine demonstrates the chemical difference between the vertebral disk (large water peak and no lipid peak) and the marrow (smaller water peak and detectable lipids). Lipid/water ratios were lower than the chemically measured ratios. The phase-encoded proton spectroscopic technique presented in this study allowed rapid acquisition of localized spectra from the bone marrow in each of three vertebral bodies of the intact human spine. This technique provided a measure of the mobile lipid/water ratio weighted by relaxation times.

Body Water↗

Postmenopausal bone loss is prevented by treatment with low-dosage estrogen with calcium.

Bone mass was measured prospectively in 73 women during the period immediately after menopause. By comparing the rates of loss at three skeletal sites, we assessed the protective effects of calcium supplements given alone or combined with low-dosage estrogen therapy. After 2 years of follow-up, spinal trabecular mineral content, measured by quantitative computed tomography, decreased by a mean of 9.0% (p = 0.002 compared with baseline) in untreated women and a mean of 10.5% (p = 0.0001) in women given calcium supplements alone. By contrast, women given conjugated estrogens, 0.3 mg/d, with calcium supplements showed an insignificant increase of 2.3%. Significant losses of a lesser magnitude were seen in the appendicular cortical skeleton of women not receiving therapy and in those receiving calcium alone, but no significant changes were observed in women receiving estrogen with calcium.

Bone and Bones↗

Radiologic findings in peripheral neurilemoma.

Neurilemoma is a primary nerve sheath tumour that usually arises from a peripheral nerve. In a series of eight solitary neurilemomas four benign and four malignant tumours are observed. Three neoplasms are of intrathoracic origin, four tumours arise in the retroperitoneal space and one tumour develops in the duodenal wall. Radiographic findings using computed tomography, ultrasonography and arteriography are presented. All neurilemomas show relatively low density in CT compared with other parenchymal tumours. All benign and three of the malignant neurilemomas reveal good contrast enhancement. Arteriography has an important role in defining the tumour's blood supply and establishing the origin of the tumour. Five of six neurilemomas show hypervascularity in arteriography. Ultrasonography shows cystic degeneration in three malignant and in one benign neurilemoma. Pathologic correlation of peripheral neurilemoma is discussed by using a special immunoperoxidase technique.

Adolescent↗

Contrast-enhanced MRI of periarticular soft-tissue changes in experimental arthritis of the rat.

This study was to determine if manipulation of magnetic resonance signal intensity by means of an intravenously injected paramagnetic contrast agent is useful for the detection and characterization of periarticular inflammation. Arthritis was induced in 20 rats by means of intradermal injection of Freund's complete adjuvant. MR imaging was performed with a resistive magnet operating at 0.35 T. A double spin-echo technique with TE's of 28 and 56 ms and TR's of 0.5 and 2.0 s was used. The hindpaws of the adjuvant-injected rats were imaged on Day 8, Day 11, or Day 15 following injection of the adjuvant. The images were obtained in the transverse plane before and after intravenous injection of gadolinium-DTPA (0.2 mmol/kg). Because of their long T2 relaxation time, inflammatory lesions were characterized by high MR signal intensity on precontrast images obtained with long TR and long TE (T2-weighted images). On the other hand, because of their long T1 relaxation time, the inflammatory lesions were of relatively low intensity and not easily recognized on precontrast images obtained with short TR and short TE (T1-weighted images). Postcontrast T1-weighted images were also sensitive in detecting periarticular inflammation as a result of T1 shortening by the gadolinium-DTPA. However, in our particular model, the data did not indicate any greater MR sensitivity for detecting arthritis by means of gadolinium-DTPA enhancement.

Animals↗