Sonographic Visualization of the Rotator Cable in Patients With Symptomatic Full-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears: Correlation With Tear Size, Muscular Fatty Infiltration and Atrophy, and Functional Outcome.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of sonographic visualization of the rotator cable in patients with symptomatic full-thickness rotator cuff tears and asymptomatic controls and to correlate rotator cable visualization with tear size, muscular fatty infiltration and atrophy, and the functional outcome in the patients with rotator cuff tears. METHODS: Fifty-seven patients with rotator cuff tears and 30 asymptomatic volunteers underwent shoulder sonography for prospective assessment of the rotator cable and rotator cuff tear and responded to 2 functional outcome questionnaires (shortened Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand [QuickDASH] and Constant). In the patients with rotator cuff tears, appropriate tests were used to correlate rotator cable visualization with the tear size, functional outcome, muscular fatty infiltration, and atrophy. RESULTS: The patients with rotator cuff tears included 25 women and 32 men (mean age,57 years; range, 39-67 years), and the volunteers included 13 women and 17 men (mean age, 56 years; range, 35-64 years). The rotator cable was identified in 77% (23 of 30) of controls and 23% (13 of 57) of patients with rotator cuff tears. In the patients, nonvisualization of the rotator cable correlated with larger tears (P < 0.001) and higher grades of supraspinatus atrophy (P = .049) and fatty infiltration (P = .022). There was no significant correlation with functional outcome scores (QuickDASH, P = .989; Constant, P = .073) or infraspinatus fatty infiltration (P = .065). CONCLUSIONS: Nonvisualization of the rotator cable was more prevalent in patients with symptomatic rotator cuff tears than asymptomatic controls and was associated with a larger tear size and greater supraspinatus fatty infiltration and atrophy. Diligent assessment of the supraspinatus muscle should be done in patients with rotator cuff tears without a visible rotator cable, as the integrity of these anatomic structures may be interdependent.

[Breast cancer screening in thirteen French departments]. / Dépistage du cancer du sein dans treize départements français.

BACKGROUND: In France, breast cancer screening programme, free of charge for women aged 50-74 years old, coexists with an opportunistic screening and leads to reduction in attendance in the programme. Here, we reported participation in organized and/or opportunistic screening in thirteen French departments. POPULATION AND METHODS: We analyzed screening data (organized and/or opportunistic) of 622,382 women aged 51-74 years old invited to perform an organized mammography screening session from 2010 to 2011 in the thirteen French departments. The type of mammography screening performed has been reported according to women age, their health insurance scheme, the rurality and the socioeconomic level of their area or residence. We also represented the tertiles of deprivation and participation in mammography screening for each department. RESULTS: A total of 390,831 (62.8%) women performed a mammography screening (organized and/or opportunistic) after the invitation. These women were mainly aged from 55-69 years old, insured by the general insurance scheme and lived in urban, semi-urban or affluent areas. CONCLUSION: The participation in mammography screening (organized and opportunistic) in France remains below the target rate of 70% expected by health authorities to reduce breast cancer mortality through screening.

Magnetic resonance imaging of painful metal-on-metal total hip replacement.

Consecutive patients that had primary metal-on-metal (MoM) or metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) hip arthroplasty were prospectively enrolled to this study. All operated hips were evaluated with MRI by one radiologist who was blinded to the radiographic findings and clinical symptoms. Three groups of patients were formed: (1) thirteen MoM THRs in 13 patients with groin pain (Group 1), (2) ten MoM THRs in 10 patients with no pain (Group 2), (3) five MoP THRs in 4 patients without pain (control group). Abnormal MRI findings were distributed in all groups in a balanced way, irrespective of the patients' symptoms, prostheses, or metal ion levels. Two patients from Group 1 and one patient of Group 3 (control group) were diagnosed with a large periprosthetic mass (pseudotumor).

Rapid osteolysis of the femoral neck: consequence of an insufficiency fracture of the hip?

PURPOSE: To describe the imaging and clinical features of rapid osteolysis of the femoral neck in an attempt to better understand this uncommon pathology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the files of 11 patients (six women and five men) aged 53-78 years diagnosed with rapid osteolysis of the femoral neck. Available imaging studies included radiographs, CT, MRI, and bone scintigraphy. Histopathological evaluations were available for seven cases. RESULTS: All patients presented with complaints of hip pain, six of whom had acute symptoms, while the rest had progressive symptoms and impairment. All but one case were found to have bone deposition in adjacent hip muscles. CT confirmed bone deposition in adjacent tissues and true osteolysis of the femoral neck with relative sparing of the articular surfaces. Bone scintigraphy and MRI were useful to exclude underlying neoplastic disease. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid osteolysis of the femoral neck tends to occur in patients with underlying comorbidities leading to bone fragility and may actually represent a peculiar form of spontaneous insufficiency fracture. Recognition of its imaging features and clinical risk factors may help distinguish this process from other more concerning disorders such as infection or neoplasm.

[The impact of a general practitioner training program on the colorectal cancer screening participation rate]. / Impact d'une formation pour les médecins généralistes sur la participation au dépistage du cancer colorectal.

AIM: Colorectal cancer mortality in France in 2011 was 13.8/100,000 men and 8.2/100,000 women. As participation in mass screening remains insufficient, training was proposed to general practitioners in the Drôme-Ardèche departments. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of this training after one year. METHODS: This study compared a group of trained volunteers with the other general practitioners in the two departments. The participation rate was measured in patients aged 50 to 74 years examined during the year following the training programme. The participation rate was then assessed on the total population of patients aged 50 to 74 seen by each practitioner, and the practitioner's degree of conviction (tests performed / test kits delivered) and the clarity of instructions (interpretable tests / tests performed) were assessed. RESULTS: Thirty-five general practitioners attended the training programme in Spring 2011. The number of tests performed in this group of trained GPs was 0.29 per target patient examined (vs 0.17 among the 604 practitioners who did not attend the training programme) with a significant difference (p < 0.0001). The number of tests performed on the total patient population aged 50 to 74 was 0.24 per patient (vs 0.14) with p < 0.001. The conviction index was 0.85 (vs 0.90) with p < 0.0008 and the clarity of instructions index was 0.94 (vs 0.93) (p not significant). CONCLUSION: The training programme had a limited impact on participation in colorectal cancer screening, but trained practitioners nevertheless distributed more test kits and more tests were performed.

Percutaneous insertion of a proximal humeral locking plate: an anatomic study.

This cadaveric study sought to evaluate the feasibility of applying a locking proximal humerus plate with a novel minimally invasive technique. A unique pre-contoured locking plate was placed on cadaveric proximal humeri through a described minimally invasive approach. Proximity of the plate and screws to the axillary nerve and their respective surgical tracks were quantified. Safe screw hole placement with respect to the axillary nerve was determined. Risk of entrapment of the nerve beneath the plate was evaluated. Three of the holes near the middle of the locking plate consistently intersected the course of the axillary nerve and were unsafe for percutaneous placement of the screws. The axillary nerve could be palpated during the course of surgery and easily protected from injury. No entrapment of the axillary nerve occurred using this minimally invasive technique. The screw-in locking guide cannot be used with this technique as it caused tenting of the axillary nerve. Placement of a locking proximal humerus plate via a minimally invasive lateral trans-deltoid approach is safe if the locking screws are limited to superior and inferior holes. This can be done safely without entrapment of the axillary beneath the plate. Plate fixation of proximal humerus fractures may now be more desirable with the use of this approach.