Michael R. Sage

Groin Pain in Footballers The Association Between Preseason Clinical and Pubic Bone Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings and Athlete Outcome

Background Groin pain and tenderness are common in athletes from a variety of codes of football, but little attention has been directed to the influence of magnetic resonance imaging and such clinical findings on athlete participation. Hypothesis Preseason groin pain, tenderness, and magnetic resonance imaging findings such as pubic bone marrow edema are associated with restricted training capacity and missed games. Study Design Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods Fifty-two Australian footballers in the national competition were recruited. Preseason groin pain and focal tenderness were recorded, and magnetic resonance imaging of the groin was performed within 1 week of examination. Training restriction and games missed owing to groin pain were documented during the subsequent season. Results Magnetic resonance imaging showed pubic bone marrow edema in 19 of 52 (37%) footballers and linear parasymphyseal T2 hyperintensity in 16 of 52 (31%) footballers. Groin pain restricted training during the season in 22 of 52 (42%) footballers, and 9 of 52 (17%) footballers missed at least 1 game. Preseason pain (P =. 0004), pubic bone tenderness (P =. 02), and linear parasymphyseal T2 hyperintensity (P =. 01) were associated with restricted training capacity during the subsequent season. Preseason groin pain (P =. 03) was associated with missed games, but magnetic resonance imaging findings were not. Conclusion Preseason pubic bone marrow edema, groin pain, and linear parasymphyseal T2 hyperintensity were associated with training restriction, but only preseason groin pain was associated with missed games.

Endosonographic imaging of anal sphincter injury: does the size of the tear correlate with the degree of dysfunction?

AbstractPURPOSE: This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the extent of anal sphincter muscle injury as graded at endosonography correlates with the degree of functional impairment. METHODS: Three hundred and thirty adults presenting for evaluation of fecal incontinence were recruited. Ultrasound was performed with a 7.5-MHz radial rotating axial endoprobe in the left lateral position. Anal sphincter muscle tears were graded on the basis of the degree of circumferential involvement (< or >25 percent) and by an assessment of the superoinferior longitudinal extent of an external anal sphincter tear. Muscles that demonstrated multiple tears, poor visualization, or fragmentation were classed as fragmented. Sphincter injuries were correlated with basal and squeeze pressures at manometry, pudendal nerve terminal latencies, and the severity of symptoms using the Parks-Browning clinical score. RESULTS: Patients with an intact external anal sphincter had a higher squeeze pressure (mean, 162.6 cm H2O) than those with a partial- (mean, 125.7 cm H2O) or full-length tear (mean, 124.9 cm H2O; P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in squeeze pressure between those with partial- vs. full-length external anal sphincter tears nor between circumference tears < or >25 percent. Basal pressure was significantly lower in those with a full-length external anal sphincter tear (47.8 cm H2O) vs. an intact external anal sphincter (65.7 cm H2O; P < 0.001). The basal pressure in those with an intact internal anal sphincter was not significantly different from those with clearly defined internal anal sphincter tears, and the degree of circumferential involvement was also not important in this regard. However, those with a fragmented internal anal sphincter had a significantly lower basal pressure than other subgroups of internal anal sphincter injuries (P < 0.001). There was no association between external or internal anal sphincter status and the mean pudendal nerve terminal motor latency, suggesting the patient groups were neurologically similar. There was no significant association between external or internal anal sphincter status and the severity of reported symptoms. CONCLUSION: Correlations between the presence or absence of muscle tears and reduced manometric function have been identified. Further grading of tears was of less importance. No relationship between muscle injuries and the severity of clinical symptoms could be elicited.

An unusual spinal intradural arachnoid cyst

Spinal intradural arachnoid cysts are seen most frequently in the thoracic region, particularly near the midline posteriorly. A thoracic intradural arachnoid cyst in this typical location is reported, with the additional unusual finding of herniation of the spinal cord through an anterior defect in the dura mater. The MRI findings are described.

Effects of nonionic contrast media on the blood-brain barrier. Osmolality versus chemotoxicity.

This study was performed to assess the relative contributions of contrast medium osmolality and chemotoxicity to contrast-induced blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage. Experimental carotid angiography was carried out in rabbits with mannitol at an osmolality of 714 mOsm/kg, with the nonionic, monomeric contrast media iohexol and ioversol at similar osmolalities, and with the nonionic, dimeric contrast media iodixanol and iotrolan at osmolalities less than half that of the mannitol. The amount of damage caused by the procedure was assessed by determining the amount of intracerebral extravasation of intravascularly injected technetium-99m-pertechnetate. Mannitol caused no detectable BBB damage, but all four contrast media caused BBB damage that was significantly more severe than that caused by mannitol. The BBB damage caused by carotid angiography with iohexol, ioversol, iodixanol, and iotrolan was not attributable to their osmolalities, but due to some other physical and/or chemical effects of these media on the BBB.

Inflammatory pseudotumour of the pancreas in a child.

Abstract We describe a 4-year-old girl with an inflammatory pseudotumour of the pancreas, which was preceded by varicella-zoster infection. Inflammatory pseudotumour may involve a variety of tissues, the lungs and liver being typical sites of predilection. Imaging and laboratory tests are nonspecific, and for this reason the diagnosis of inflammatory pseudotumour is rarely made prior to surgery. These benign but locally aggressive masses simulate malignancy in the majority of cases. Inflammatory pseudotumour should, therefore, be considered when a mass arises in an unusual location in the paediatric age group.

Anal sphincter tears in patients with rectal prolapse and faecal incontinence.

Objective  Faecal incontinence often persists after surgery for rectal prolapse. Multiple mechanisms have been proposed as responsible, however, anal sphincter integrity has only been studied in a handful of cases. This study assesses the incidence of ultrasound detected anal sphincter tears in patients with rectal prolapse and faecal incontinence.

Case report: Complete lung collapse — An unusual presentation of cryptococcosis

Cryptococcosis presenting as an intrabronchial mass is not a recognized cause of complete lung collapse. This case report illustrates this extremely rare manifestation of pulmonary cryptococcosis, which mimicked primary pulmonary carcinoma clinically, radiologically and bronchoscopically.

Medullary sponge kidney and urolithiasis

A review of the urographic findings in 200 patients with renal colic due to urolithiasis demonstrated radiological evidence of medullary sponge kidney in 34, an incidence of 17%. In the majority, the diagnosis was readily made and the changes were bilateral and extensive. This relatively high incidence suggests that medullary sponge kidney may be a contributing factor in a population already predisposed to calculus formation because of other factors such as diet and dehydration.

Bony exostosis of the atlas with resultant cranial nerve palsy

SummaryA case of tenth and twelfth nerve compression secondary to a bony exostosis of the first cervical vertebra is described. This uncommon phenomenon serves to outline the importance of imaging the course of a cranial nerve when no intracranial abnormality is demonstrable on CT or MRI. The radiologic features of spinal osteochondromas are reviewed.

Isolated spinal cord lipoma.

A case of isolated intradural spinal cord lipoma is presented. Most isolated spinal cord lipomas are intradural extramedullary, and the most common location is subpial. True intramedullary lipomas are very rare. Patient history is usually of months to years of local back pain, with recent escalation of pain and development of neurological symptoms. MRI examination shows a well circumscribed lesion of high signal on both T1 and T2 weighted images, and suppression on fat saturation sequence. Subtotal resection is the surgical aim. This improves pain but neurological symptoms rarely improve, usually are unchanged, and occasionally are worse.