Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L A Gilula.
The following case is presented to illustrate the roentgenographic and clinical findings of a condition of interest to the orthopaedic surgeon. Initial history, physical findings, and roentgenographic examinations are indicated below. The final clinical and roentgenographic differential diagnoses are presented on the following pages.
The following case is presented to illustrate the roentgenographic and clinical findings of a condition of interest to the orthopaedic surgeon. The initial history, physical findings, and roentgenographic examinations are found on this page. The clinical and roentgenographic diagnoses are presented on the following pages.
The following case is presented to illustrate the roentgenographic and clinical findings of a condition of interest to the orthopaedic surgeon. Initial history, physical findings, and roentgenographic examinations are offered for your consideration. The final clinical and roentgenographic differential diagnoses are presented on the following pages.
The following case is presented to illustrate the roentgenographic and clinical findings of a condition of interest to the orthopaedic surgeon. The final clinical and roentgenographic differential diagnoses can be found on the following pages.
The following case is presented to illustrate the roentgenographic and clinical findings of a condition of interest to the orthopaedic surgeon. Initial history, physical findings, and roentgenographic examinations are found on the first two pages. The final clinical and roentgenographic differential diagnoses are presented on the following pages.
The following case describes the imaging and clinical findings of a condition of interest to the orthopaedic surgeon. Initial history, physical findings, and imaging examinations are presented here for your consideration. The final clinical diagnosis and relevant discussion can be found on the following pages.
The following case is presented to illustrate the roentgenographic and clinical findings of a condition of interest to the orthopaedic surgeon. Initial history, physical findings, and roentgenographic examinations are found on the first two pages. The final clinical and roentgenographic differential diagnoses are presented on the following pages.
The following case is presented to illustrate the roentgenographic and clinical findings of a condition of interest to the orthopaedic surgeon. Initial history, physical findings, and roentgenographic examinations are found on the first page. The final clinical and roentgenographic differential diagnoses are presented on the following pages.
BACKGROUND: The authors studied the short-term changes in the plain radiographic and computed tomography (CT) appearance of Ewing sarcoma for indicators of decreased survival or future disease progression. METHODS: The authors evaluated CT scans and plain radiographs of the primary tumor site from 105 patients with Ewing sarcoma at diagnosis (prebiopsy), after induction chemotherapy (13 weeks), and after radiation therapy (20 weeks). RESULTS: Data suggest an association between postinduction CT findings of medullary involvement, cortical destruction, lysis, permeation, and unhealed pathologic fracture and decreased survival. On the postradiation scans, only medullary involvement was associated with worsened survival. No plain radiographic features were significant at any time. Absolute greatest tumor dimension was not significantly related to survival or tumor progression. The Cox model suggested that fractional change in greatest tumor dimension on CT at the time points studied relative to the prebiopsy CT was correlated to survival. Log-rank testing did not corroborate this finding. All significant associations appeared to result from adverse outcomes in small subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that CT obtained immediately after induction chemotherapy and radiation may have some limited use in predicting the long-term prognosis of patients with Ewing sarcoma.
BACKGROUND: Nineteen patients with Ewing sarcoma of bone, each younger than 3 years of age at the time of initial presentation, are reported. These children represent an unusually young age group for documented Ewing sarcoma and represent 2.6% of all patients registered in the Intergroup Ewing's Sarcoma Study (IESS). METHODS: The diagnosis was made on combined histologic, clinical, and radiographic grounds and was supported by immunohistochemistry in nine patients and electron microscopic study in eight patients. Immunohistochemical studies showed no staining against neuro-specific enolase, chromogranin, or S-100 in any patients, and in only one in nine patients were results of such studies focally positive against Leu-7. RESULTS: The most marked clinical variation between this group of infants and the general IESS patient population was a striking predominance of female patients in the younger age group (P < 0.001). There was a trend toward more rib, pelvis, and proximal long bone tumors in the infants and toddlers. The overall survival rate of the infants was 56%, almost identical to the survival rates of the older children. All of the infants who died of disease did so within 4 years. Extended follow-up as long as 9.9 years has found no late deaths attributable to tumor. The most significant late complications of therapy included cardiotoxicity with cerebral embolization from the heart and a short lower limb secondary to radiation therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Ewing sarcoma must be considered in the differential diagnosis of small cell, round cell, and blue cell tumors in bone, even in infants and toddlers.
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Radial height was measured on carefully standardized posteroanterior x-ray films of the wrist in 25 male and 25 female patients. The range of radial height (10 to 18 mm) was the same for both male and female patients, with slightly different means for each sex. In females the mean was at the upper limit of the previously reported range, whereas in males the mean was outside the reported range. Our results suggest that previously published measurements underestimate radial height. Inasmuch as radial height may be used in planning management of distal radial fractures, it is important to redefine these measurements. We also believe that the wide range of normal makes comparison with a noninjured contralateral wrist essential for accurate assessment of radial shortening in each individual patient.
There is confusion in the literature with respect to evaluation of the scapholunate joint space and ligament. Because routine x-ray films of the wrist commonly do not profile the scapholunate joint perfectly, determination of the joint space width often is inaccurate. One method that invariably will allow a good profile of the scapholunate joint involves the use of fluoroscopically controlled views in different positions of the wrist. However, when abnormal width is suspected, in all examinations the wrist in question should be compared with the opposite wrist and the findings carefully correlated with clinical symptoms. Additional arthrographic findings, which have not been discussed in the literature before, are described. Midcarpal arthrography identifies and illustrates a variety of appearances of the scapholunate ligament. The reason for these different appearances and whether they are normal variations or pathologic findings is not known. This article is designed to stimulate further clinical and x-ray research to clarify normal and abnormal features of the scapholunate joint and ligament.
Lunotriquetral arthrodesis has been recommended for the treatment of disabling pain at the lunotriquetral joint after more conservative measures have failed. We retrospectively analyzed a series of 22 patients treated with a lunotriquetral arthrodesis for presence of fusion, method of fixation, duration of immobilization, carpal alignment, pain relief, and ability to return to work. Fixation with a Herbert screw supplemented with a Kirschner wire (K-wire) was superior to fixation with K-wires alone. Immobilization longer than 6 weeks was superior to immobilization less than 6 weeks. Combined use of a Herbert screw supplemented with a K-wire and immobilization longer than 6 weeks resulted in union in all patients, even when performed for nonunion after a prior attempted arthrodesis. Pain was improved in all patients; all patients who previously were working returned to work. Routine posteroanterior and lateral x-ray films often failed to adequately profile the arthrodesis site. We recommend using a Herbert screw supplemented with a K-wire for lunotriquetral arthrodesis and keeping the patient in a cast until fusion is documented, usually at least 8 weeks. Fluoroscopic spot views or tomograms are recommended to demonstrate bone fusion.
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The radiologic appearances of 70 lunotriquetral coalitions in 52 patients were evaluated to determine whether a wide scapholunate joint space in subjects with this congenital abnormality reflects a scapholunate ligament disruption or is a normal variant. When the middle of the scapholunate joint space was larger than the capitolunate or third carpometacarpal joint space widths, it was considered to be abnormally wide. In 32 of 70 wrists (46%), a wide scapholunate joint space was detected. Results of instability radiographic series (n = 28) and arthrography (n = 11) were normal with respect to the scapholunate ligament in all cases, but the scapholunate joint space was markedly widened in six cases (55%) in which arthrography was performed. Arthroscopy, performed in one case, showed an intact scapholunate ligament. Because of the high prevalence of a wide scapholunate joint space and because of negative arthrographic and arthroscopic examinations, the authors conclude that widening of the scapholunate joint space is a normal variant that is common in patients with lunotriquetral coalition.
PURPOSE: To report cases of plasmacytoma with a radiologic appearance simulating that of chondrosarcoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors describe four cases of plasma cell tumors with scattered foci of calcification within their matrix, causing them to resemble chondrosarcoma radiographically. Histologic examination was performed in three of these cases. RESULTS: Biopsy specimens demonstrated that the calcification in these tumors was contained in areas of amyloid deposition. Although amyloid formation in association with plasma cell dyscrasias is well known, sufficient calcification within the amyloid to become radiographically identifiable has only rarely been reported. CONCLUSION: Calcification in amyloid produced by plasma cell tumors may at times simulate the appearance of chondrosarcoma.
OBJECTIVE: Our objective was twofold: (1) to determine whether the site of patients' pain correlates with abnormal findings on three-compartment wrist arthrograms and (2) to determine whether the directional nature (uni- vs bidirectional) of communication(s) between adjacent wrist joint compartments shown on three-compartment wrist arthrograms correlates with the presence and site of pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied 462 three-compartment wrist arthrograms of 458 patients. The patients were divided into four groups according to the site of pain, the correlation of that site with the site of the communication, and the directional characteristics of communications shown on the arthrogram: (1) exact correlation between site of pain and arthrographic findings, (2) correlation only between side of pain (ulnar or radial) and arthrographic findings, (3) ambiguous correlations (e.g., multifocal, midline, or diffuse pain), and (4) no correlation between site of pain and arthrographic findings. RESULTS: In 191 patients (42%), 226 intercompartmental communications were detected (51 uni- or 173 bidirectional). One hundred sixty-one patients had only one communication (uni- or bidirectional), and 30 patients had more than one (uni- and/or bidirectional) communication for a total of 65 defects. Regardless of the directional nature of the communication, no positive association between sites and/or the side of symptoms and sites of communications was demonstrable. However, a potential association appears to exist between ulnar-sided pain and combined lunotriquetral and triangular fibrocartilage tears. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the directional nature of interjoint communications has little or no clinical significance. Thus, with the exception of seeking the cause of ulnar-sided pain, our results question the usefulness of routine arthrography for correlating sites of patients' symptoms and individual interjoint communications.