Leonie Gordon

The effects of muscle-building exercise on bone mineral density of the radius, spine, and hip in young men

SummaryWe previously demonstrated that muscle-building exercise is associated with increases in serum Gla-protein, serum 1,25(OH)2D, and urinary cyclic AMP. These studies were interpreted to mean that this form of exercise increases bone formation and modifies the vitamin D-endocrine system to provide more calcium for bone. The present investigation was carried out in normal young adult white men to determine the effects of exercise on bone mineral density at weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing sites. Twelve men who had regularly engaged in muscle-building exercises (use of weights, exercise machines, or both) for at least 1 year and 50 age-matched controls (aged 19–40 years) were studied. The body weights of the two groups were not different from each other (78±2 vs. 74±1 kg, NS). Bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine, trochanter, and femoral neck was measured by dual-photon absorptiometry, and BMD of the midradius was measured by single-photon absorptiometry. It was found that muscle-building exercise was associated with increased BMD at the lumbar spine (1.35±0.03 vs. 1.22±0.02 g/cm2,P<0.01), trochanter (0.99±0.04 vs. 0.86±0.02 g/cm2,P<0.01), and femoral neck (1.18 ±0.03 vs. 1.02±0.02 g/cm2,P<0.001) but not at the midradius (0.77±0.02 vs. 0.77±0.01 g/cm2, NS). These studies provide additional evidence that muscle-building exercise is associated with increases in BMD at weight-bearing sites but not at nonweight-bearing sites.

Effectiveness of prolonged fasting 18f-FDG PET-CT in the detection of cardiac sarcoidosis

BackgroundThe Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare guidelines (JMHWG) are currently the standard used to diagnose cardiac sarcoidosis. JMHWG incorporate 67Gallium scintigraphy as a minor criterion, while fasting 18fluorine-2-fluro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) PET is not included. As there is no published data comparing the accuracy of prolonged fasting FDG PET-CT (PF-PET) and Gallium scintigraphy for detecting active cardiac sarcoidosis, we sought to compare these two modalities.Methods and ResultsWe retrospectively reviewed medical records and nuclear images of 76 patients with suspected cardiac sarcoid who had either PF-PET or Gallium scintigraphy between January 2004 and August 2008. Eleven patients were excluded due to inadequate fasting for PF-PET, incomplete records or diagnosis other than sarcoid. Cardiac catheterizations, electrocardiogram interpretations, echocardiography reports, pathology reports, therapeutic interventions, and follow-up findings were correlated to PF-PET and Gallium scintigraphy results. Nuclear images of all patients including controls were reviewed independently by two experienced nuclear physicians blinded to results. Using JMHWG as reference standard, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of PF-PET were 85%, 90%, and 86.7% and for Gallium scintigraphy were 15%, 80%, and 42.8%.ConclusionsRelative to Gallium scintigraphy, PF-PET appears to provide greater accuracy for detecting cardiac sarcoidosis. Our findings also highlight the importance of revising JMHWG to incorporate PF-PET and the importance of adequate prolonged fasting prior to FDG PET imaging.

Demonstration that bone mineral density of the lumbar spine, trochanter, and femoral neck is higher in black than in white young men

The incidence of osteoporosis and fractures of the hip and spine is lower in black than in white subjects. To determine whether bone mass is increased in black men and to assess the influence of body weight and age, bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine, trochanter, and femoral neck was measured by dual-photon absorptiometry in 59 normal white men and 40 black men between the ages of 20 and 50 years. Body weight and age were not different from each other in the two groups. BMD of the midradius was measured by single-photon absorptiometry. Multivariate regression was used for independent analysis of each group and for analysis of the two groups together. After adjusting for body weight, age was inversely related to BMD of the femoral neck in both blacks and whites and of the trochanter in blacks. When body weight was analyzed independently of age, it was a positive predictor for BMD of the midradius of black men and of the femoral neck in white men. Despite the racial differences in age and weight on BMD, there were no significant interactions between race and age or race and weight when the data from black and white men were combined. Race had a highly significant effect on BMD of the lumbar spine, trochanter, and femoral neck midradius, and BMD was higher in blacks than in whites at these sites. There were significant declines in BMD with age at the midradius and femoral neck and significant increases in BMD with body weight at the trochanter and femoral neck. Thus, bone mass is higher in black than in white men and the difference in bone mass may contribute to the lower incidence of osteoporosis and fractures in blacks.

FDG-PET uptake in occult acute pelvic fracture.

The role of FDG-PET in the diagnosis of bone metastases remains unsettled, although it is hoped that PET scans will add specificity to or replace bone scintigraphy. We report a case in which an acute traumatic fracture presented with a level of uptake generally considered indicative of neoplasm. It is important to recognize that increased FDG-PET activity in bone should not be accepted as definitive evidence of metastatic disease.

Evolution of bisphosphonate‐related atypical fracture retrospectively observed with DXA scanning

We present a case of a 61‐year‐old female with history of long‐term bisphosphonate therapy for osteoporosis initially diagnosed by screening dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA). After 4 years of treatment with bisphosphonates, the patient presented to primary care with left hip pain. Diagnostic hip radiographs were interpreted as normal, and she continued to take bisphosphonates. Two months later, she experienced a complete transverse subtrochanteric left femur fracture after minimal trauma. The patient underwent open reduction and internal fixation. Review of the patients postoperative films revealed lateral subtrochanteric cortical beaking at the fracture. This type of “atypical” fracture has been reported to be a result of chronic bisphosphonate‐associated fractures with high specificity. In addition, the right femur also showed cortical beaking with a horizontal linear lucency in an identical location, suggesting an impending fracture. Longitudinal review of the both diagnostic radiographs as well as DXA images shows a stepwise development of these subtrochanteric abnormalities in both femurs. A current hypothesis regarding the pathophysiology of bisphosphonate‐associated fracture is that the medication inhibits bone turnover and repair of microscopic trauma. A cycle of defective repair and continual microtrauma compounded over time gradually weakens the bone and creates an architectural conduit for transverse or “atypical” fracture. Standard practice is not to use DXA as a diagnostic “image.” We present this case to show that a common location and classic appearance of subtrochanteric bisphosphonate‐associated fractures may be clearly visualized on absorptiometry images long before fracture. This observation is important because the majority of patients taking bisphosphonate therapy also receive regular DXA imaging. Because of the chronicity of standard bone‐density monitoring for these patients throughout their treatment regimen, DXA may find a role for early detection of cortical abnormalities.

Renal metastases from osteogenic sarcoma

A clinically and radiographically unsuspected ossified renal metastasis from a primary osteogenic sarcoma was identified by computed tomography (CT) and radionuclide bone scan. These imaging modalities play an important adjunctive role in the evaluation and follow-up of patients with primary osteogenic sarcoma.

Diagnostic performance of In-111 capromab pendetide SPECT/CT in localized and metastatic prostate cancer.

Purpose: To determine the diagnostic performance of In-111 capromab pendetide single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT), in the prostate gland, seminal vesicles, and lymph nodes via correlation to a gold standard of histopathology. Materials and Methods: In this study, we retrospectively reviewed all In-111 capromab pendetide SPECT/CT acquired at our institution for dedicated histopathology within a 4-month period. Statistical measures of performance were calculated in terms of glandular, seminal vesicle, and lymph node activity. The accuracies of glandular and seminal vesicle activity were then correlated to the indices of risk, including the stage, Gleason score, and prostate-specific antigen level, as well as the treatment history. Results: Of the 200 scans meeting the criteria of our study, 197 had prostate gland histopathology, 94 had bilateral seminal vesicle histopathology, and 5 had a total of 43 resected lymph nodes for comparison. The overall accuracies of the scan results were determined to be 77.7% (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.539) for the gland, 67.0% (AUC = 0.510) for the seminal vesicles, and 93.0% (AUC = 0.787) for lymph nodes. For glandular activity alone, scan accuracy was found to significantly improve with increasing Gleason score (P < 0.0001), and in a setting prior to treatment (P = 0.0005). No statistically significant differences were found between different scan groups with regards to seminal vesicle activity. Conclusions: The results of this study provide substantiating evidence In-111 capromab pendetide can be used to accurately diagnose lymph node metastases from primary cancers of the prostate; however, they also suggest the test may have limited utility in diagnosing tumors within the prostate gland and seminal vesicles.

Scintigraphic diagnosis of peritoneo-pleural communication in the absence of ascites.

Pleural effusion in the presence of cirrhosis and ascites is well recognized. Peritoneal fluid is thought to enter the pleural cavity either because of overloaded lymphatics or a structural defect between the peritoneal and chest cavities. Pleural effusion rarely occurs in the absence of demonstrable ascites. This report describes the scintigraphic diagnosis of peritoneo-pleural communication in a patient with cryptogenic cirrhosis and pleural effusion without ascites.

Integrated assessment of coronary anatomy and myocardial perfusion using a retractable SPECT camera combined with 64-slice CT: initial experience

We evaluated a prototype SPECT system integrated with multidetector row CT (MDCT) for obtaining complementary information on coronary anatomy and hemodynamic lesion significance. Twenty-five consecutive patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) underwent routine SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). All patients also underwent repeat MPI with a mobile SPECT unit which could be attached to a 64-slice MDCT system. Coronary CT angiography (cCTA) was performed without repositioning the patient. Investigational MPI was compared with routine MPI for detection of myocardial perfusion defects (PD). Two observers diagnosed presence or absence of CAD based on MPI alone, cCTA alone, and based on combined MPI and cCTA with fused image display. In 22/24 patients investigative MPI corresponded with routine MPI (r = 0.80). Stenosis ≥ 50% at cCTA was detected in 6/24 patients. Six out of 24 patients had PD at regular MPI. Three of these six patients had no significant stenosis at cCTA. Three out of 19 patients with normal MPI studies had significant stenosis at cCTA. Our initial experience indicates that the integration of SPECT MPI with cCTA is technically feasible and enables the comprehensive evaluation of coronary artery anatomy and myocardial perfusion with a single instrumental setup.

Neonatal urinomas: imaging considerations.

Neonatal urinomas can be defined as encapsulated extravasations of urine occuring secondary to congenital obstructive uropathies. Since 1978, four patients with proven urinomas have been studied at the Medical University of South Carolina, three of which had posterior urethral valves and the fourth, a segmental ureteral atresia. They were classified into three major types; subcapsular, diffuse perirenal and localized perirenal. The radiologic and imaging appearances are demonstrated. We found the most efficacious approach for identification of neonatal urinomas to be renal ultrasound, voiding cystourethrography and the Tc-99 m DPTA renal scintigraphy.