Richard H. Daffner

Defining the relationship between rotator cuff injury and proximal humerus fractures.

The purpose of our study was to correlate radiographic characteristics with rotator cuff tendon injury on magnetic resonance imaging after fractures of the proximal humerus. We prospectively obtained magnetic resonance imaging on 30 patients with proximal humerus fractures after classifying each fracture radiographically using Neer and AO systems and determining the displacement of the greater tuberosity. Twelve patients (40.0%) had either complete ruptures or avulsions of at least one of the rotator cuff muscles. No abnormality was identified in the rotator cuff musculature in nine patients (29%). Severity of injury to the rotator cuff tendons increased substantially with respect to increasing AO and Neer classes and 5 mm or greater displacement of the greater tuberosity fragment. Additional study is needed to determine the exact role of rotator cuff tendon injury in the ultimate function attained by patients with proximal humerus fractures.Level of Evidence: Level II, prognostic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Patterns of high-speed impact injuries in motor vehicle occupants

Trauma from high-speed motor vehicle accidents is a leading cause of death and disability. Most of these injuries could be prevented if the driver and occupants of motor vehicles wore seatbelts or used other restraining devices. The injuries produced when an unrestrained occupant of a motor vehicle is ejected from that vehicle or impacts on a hostile surface at high speed occur in a reproducible pattern. The types of injuries sustained by drivers and front seat passengers are different and specific enough to allow one to identify drivers and passengers with confidence. Because of severe life-threatening injuries to the central nervous system, and thoracic and abdominal viscera, other serious injuries may be overlooked. Knowledge of the mechanism of injury and the role of the victim (i.e., driver or passenger) should lead to the prompt radiographic evaluation of all areas at risk. Our findings are based on a study of 250 drivers and 250 front seat passengers involved in motor vehicle accidents. We found distinct common injury patterns and radiographic findings in drivers and front seat passengers.

CT-Guided Iliosacral Screw Placement: Technique and Clinical Experience

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to describe the technique of and experience in using CT guidance for percutaneous iliosacral screw placement in patients with unstable pelvic fractures. CONCLUSION CT-guided iliosacral screw placement is a safe and accurate procedure that can be performed by radiologists in a radiology suite.

Synchronous and Metachronous Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Head, Neck and Esophagus

Thirty-four (1%) of 3,287 patients with squamous carcinoma of the head-neck developed carcinoma of the esophagus. The clinical and radiological importance of this relationship is emphasized. Since there is an increased incidence of esophageal carcinoma in this group, perhaps all such patients should have an annual esophagogram.

Cervical spine clearance in the traumatically injured patient: is multidetector CT scanning sufficient alone? Clinical article.

OBJECT Clearance of the cervical spine in patients who have sustained trauma remains a contentious issue. Clinical examination alone is sufficient in neurologically intact patients without neck pain. Patients with neck pain or those with altered mental status or a depressed level of consciousness require further radiographic evaluation. However, no consensus exists as to the appropriate imaging modality. Some advocate multidetector CT (MDCT) scanning alone, but this has been criticized because MDCT is not sensitive in detecting ligamentous injuries that can often only be identified on MRI. METHODS Patients were identified retrospectively from a prospectively maintained database at a Level I trauma center. All patients admitted between January 2004 and June 2011 who had a cervical MDCT scan interpreted by a board-certified radiologist as being without evidence of acute traumatic injury and who also had a cervical MRI study obtained during the same hospital admission were included. Data collected included patient demographics, mechanism of injury, Glasgow Coma Scale score at the time of MRI, the indication for and findings on MRI, and the number, type, and indication for cervical spine procedures. RESULTS A total of 1004 patients were reviewed, of whom 614 were male, with an overall mean age of 47 years. The indication for MRI was neck pain in 662 patients, altered mental status in 467, and neurological signs or symptoms in 157. The MRI studies were interpreted as normal in 645 patients, evidencing ligamentous injury alone in 125, and showing nonspecific degenerative changes in the remaining patients. Of the 125 patients with ligamentous injuries, 66 (52.8%) had documentation of clearance (29 clinical, 37 with flexion-extension radiographs). Another 32 patients were presumed to be self-cleared, bringing the follow-up rate to 82% (98 of 119). Five patients died prior to clearance, and 1 patient was transferred to another facility prior to clearance. Based on these data, the 95% confidence interval for the assertion that clinically irrelevant ligamentous injury in the face of normal MDCT is 97%-100%. No patient with ligamentous injury on MRI was documented to require a surgical procedure or halo orthosis for instability. Thirty-nine patients ultimately underwent cervical surgical procedures (29 anterior and 10 posterior; 5 delayed) for central cord syndrome (21), quadriparesis (9), or discogenic radicular pain (9). None had an unstable spine. CONCLUSIONS In this study population, MRI did not add any additional information beyond MDCT in identifying unstable cervical spine injuries. Magnetic resonance imaging frequently detected ligamentous injuries, none of which were found to be unstable at the time of detection, during the course of admission, or on follow-up. Magnetic resonance imaging provided beneficial clinical information and guided surgical procedures in patients with neurological deficits or radicular pain. An MDCT study with sagittal and coronal reconstructions negative for acute injury in patients without an abnormal motor examination may be sufficient alone for clearance.

Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis of the cervical spine

Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis of the cervical spine are rare entities. The nomenclature and detailed anatomic features of these conditions are discussed. Four new cases are presented and the world literature is reviewed.

Synovial plicae of the knee

This report describes the anatomy, pathophysiology, clinical, and radiographic findings, and treatment of the synovial plicae of the knee joint. The suprapatellar plica is a synovial fold present in the suprapatellar pouch of the knee joint in approximately 20% of the population. This fold may become symptomatic after injury and cause symptoms similar to other common internal derangements of the knee. Double contrast arthrography of the knee can be used to identify the presence of plicae. Although arthrography can identify the presence of a plica, its clinical significance requires close correlation with symptoms and an accurate clinical examination.

Relevant signs of stable and unstable thoracolumbar vertebral column trauma

One-hundred and seventeen patients with acute thoracolumbar vertebral column fracture or fracture-dislocations were analyzed and classified into stable (36%) and unstable (64%). Eight helpful roentgen signs were observed that may serve to direct attention to serious underlying, often occult, fractures and dislocations. The changes fall into four principal groups: abnormal soft tissues, abnormal vertebral alignment, abnormal joints, and widened vertebral canal. All stable and unstable lesions showed abnormal soft tissues, while 70% demonstrated kyphosis and/or scoliosis, and an abnormal adjacent intervertebral disk space. All unstable lesions showed one or more of the following signs: displaced vertebra, widened interspinous space, abnormal apophyseal joint(s), and widened vertebral canal.

MR RECOGNITION OF POSTERIOR LUMBAR VERTEBRAL RING FRACTURE

Four cases of lumbar vertebral ring fracture, in which magnetic resonance (MR) was used, were reviewed. The MR features included (a) discontinuity and truncation of the posteroinferior vertebral body, (b) displacement of the avulsed low signal fragment, and (c) disk prolapse subjacent to the fragment. Recognition of these findings may eliminate the need for other diagnostic studies.

Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis of Intra-abdominal Abscesses

The diagnosis of intra-abdominal abscess by radiographic means often relies on combining the results of several different imaging modalities. Computed tomography (CT) has been shown to be a safe, accurate and rapid diagnostic method of diagnosing these abscesses. Five patients with a variety of intra-abdominal abscesses are presented in whom the CT scan alone provided the correct diagnosis. The various imaging modalities available for the radiologic diagnosis of intra-abdominal abscess are described and are compared to CT diagnosis regarding their pitfalls.