Association of the type of trauma, occurrence of bone bruise, fracture and joint effusion with the injury to the menisci and ligaments in MRI of knee trauma.

BACKGROUND: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a noninvasive diagnostic tool may help clinicians in the evaluation of injuries to menisci and ligaments. PURPOSE: this study assessed the associations between type of trauma to knee joint, bone bruise, fracture and pathological joint effusion with injuries to menisci and ligaments of knee joint. METHODS: we reviewed knee joint MRI of 175 patients aged less than 45 years old who were referred to MRI center of our University. RESULTS: statistical analysis showed that tearing of medial meniscus (MM) is significantly more common in sport related trauma (p= 0.045) but tearing of medial collateral ligament (MCL) is significantly more common in non-sport related trauma (p= 0.005). Existence of bone bruise in knee MRI is negatively associated with tearing of medial meniscus (MM) (p=0.004) and positively associated with tearing of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) (p=0.00047) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) (p = 0.0001). Existence of fracture is associated with decreased risk of the tearing of ACL and MM (p=0.04, p=0.001 respectively). Pathologic joint effusion is significantly more common in ACL and MCL tearing (p=0.0001, p=0.004 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: as diagnostic clues, bone bruise, fracture and joint effusion may help radiologists for better assessment of injury to menisci and ligaments in MRI of patients with knee trauma.

Anatomic variations of aortic arch branches and relationship with diameter of aortic arch by 64-row CT angiography.

There are different variations in the branching pattern of the Aortic Arch (AA). The aim of the present study was to study and evaluation of anatomic variations of aortic arch branches and relationship with diameter of aortic arch by 64-row computed tomography angiography (CT angiography). This descriptive analytical study was performed on 503 human by using of CT Angiography (CTA) to evaluation of anatomic variations of aortic arch. Patients underwent three dimensional restoration of aorta arch images and its branches using MIP and VRT software following intravascular injection of vein material (100 mL) and conducting CT. Then, kind of their divisions were registered. Additionally, diameter of aorta arch was measured at its cross section immediately before and after separation of its first and last branches, respectively. This study was performed on 503 specimen that 269 (53.5%) was male and 234 (46.5%) was female. The most common AA branching pattern was found in 346 (68.8%) of 503 specimens. There was no significant correlation between sex and type of variations (p = 0.073). There was no significant correlation between type of AA variations and AA diameter in the early branching area (p = 0.446) and there is no significant correlation between type ofAA variations and AA diameter in the last branching area (p = 0.887). The different branching patterns of the AA observed in this study and the morphometric measurements taken can assist doctors in performing safe and effective surgeries in the superior mediastinum and also a safe interventional procedures.