Medial meniscus posterior root attachment injury and degeneration: MRI findings.

The posterior root attachment of the medial meniscus is readily identifiable on MRI. Unless specifically reviewed, injuries involving this structure may be overlooked. Significant meniscal root pathology may cause functional incompetence of the meniscus, with consequent early onset cartilage degeneration and osteoarthritis. This review article emphasizes the importance of positive identification of an intact meniscal root and illustrates the known association of meniscal root injury or tear with medial extrusion of the medial meniscus by greater than 3 mm beyond the joint margin.

The accuracy of MRI in predicting recovery and recurrence of acute grade one hamstring muscle strains within the same season in Australian Rules football players.

The purpose of this study was to use MRI to classify acute grade one hamstring muscle strains in Australian Rules footballers to determine if it was accurate in predicting the recovery time for each injury and also able to predict those that would recur within the same season. A prospective study was performed over five years at a professional Australian Football League club. Thirty-one acute grade one hamstring injuries underwent MRI examination within 24-72 hours following the injury. Each injury underwent the same rehabilitation programme. The rehabilitation interval (RI) was the time in days for the player to resume full team training. Fourteen (45%) of the injuries were normal on MRI. Seventeen (55%) were abnormal with a hyperintense T2 lesion on the axial fat suppressed views. The MRI negative group had a significantly faster RI (6.6 days) compared with the MRI positive group (20.2 days). Both the length and cross sectional area (CSA) of the MRI positive lesions were measured. The length of the lesion had a stronger correlation coefficient with the RI (0.84) than did the CSA (0.76). Six of the 17 MRI positive strains recurred with no correlation found between the lesion's length or CSA, or the RI. None of the 14 MRI negative injuries recurred. The study confirms that MRI can aid in the investigation of acute grade one hamstring muscle strains in predicting recovery time. However the size of the initial strain or the RI do not seem to be reliable indicators in predicting those strains that might recur.

Diagnosis of a posterior fossa tumour by magnetic resonance imaging.

The application of magnetic resonance imaging as a diagnostic tool for diseases of the central nervous system is described in the case of a 17-year-old girl who presented with neurological symptoms in January 1986. A comparison is made with the results of computed tomography in the diagnosis of the disease, which proved to be a grade-III glioma that appeared as a lesion of the posterior fossa. The patient recovered uneventfully after radiotherapy. It is suggested that MRI should be considered seriously as a first line of investigation in any suspected lesion of the posterior fossa.

The clinical application of computed tomography in the assessment of laryngo-pharyngeal carcinoma. (Preliminary report).

Computed axial tomography of the larynx offers a unique view of laryngeal structures which cannot be obtained by any other technique. Its applications are discussed and cases presented to demonstrate its usefulness.

Demonstration of the pericardium and pericardial effusion by computed tomography.

Characteristic computed tomographic findings were present in two patients with confirmed pericardial effusion. A review of 30 chest scans without evidence of heart disease showed that the pericardium can be seen in the majority of cases.

Ultrasound detection of brain damage in preterm infants.

A linear-array real-time ultrasound scanner with a 5 MHz probe was used to examine the brains of 31 infants born at less than 33 weeks of gestation. The equipment was mounted on a small trolley and the infants could easily be scanned in their incubators. 7 of the 31 infants were shown to have cerebral lesions, including haemorrhages into the germinal layer and ventricles, hydrocephalus, and infarction of the periventricular region and cerebral cortex. The type and extent of the lesions were conformed by computerised tomography and at necropsy. Ultrasound scanning is a safe, simple, non-invasive technique that provides valuable information for the diagnosis, investigation, and treatment of lesions in the brains of newborn infants.

Correlation between computed tomographic values and liver iron content in thalassaemia major with iron overload.

Computer tomographic (CT) scans of the liver were obtained in six thalassaemic patients with iron overload confirmed by liver biopsy. Mean CT values for the liver in individual patients were linearly related to the iron content estimated by liver biopsy (correlation coefficient = 0.995).