Dynamic Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Pelvic Floor.

Pelvic floor dysfunction is a widespread condition affecting up to 50% of elderly women. It markedly compromises the quality of life owing to various disabling symptoms such as pelvic pain, pelvic organ prolapse, and urinary and fecal incontinence. Although age and female sex are the main risk factors, others include multiparity, obesity, and connective tissue disorders. Pelvic floor dysfunction is frequently multicompartmental, and failure to diagnose it accurately often leads to treatment failure. Dynamic pelvic floor magnetic resonance imaging is a robust tool that enables simultaneous visualization of the 3 pelvic floor compartments and is indispensable for precise preoperative evaluation.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Nonneoplastic Musculoskeletal Pathologies in the Pelvis.

Musculoskeletal pathologies in the pelvis encompass a wide variety of lesions including femoroacetabular impingement, athletic pubalgia, ischiofemoral impingement, and apophyseal avulsion injuries. Magnetic resonance imaging is the noninvasive imaging modality of choice for the diagnosis and management of these lesions. In this article, the authors discuss the nonneoplastic musculoskeletal lesions in the pelvis, with illustrations and relevant case examples.

Malignant Triton Tumor (Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor With Rhabdomyoblastic Differentiation) Occurring in a Vascularized Free Flap Reconstruction Graft.

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is a rare form of sarcoma arising from Schwann cells or pluripotent cells of the neural crest. Malignant triton tumor (MTT) is a subtype of MPNST with a component of malignant rhabdomyoblasts in addition to malignant Schwann cells. MPNST and MTT are both aggressive malignancies that most commonly arise from large deep neurofibromas in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). However, sporadic non-NF-1 cases of MTT have also been reported in the literature. We present a case of a 50-year-old African American male with no stigmata of NF-1 who developed a large mass in a free flap on the right calf. The free flap had been placed by plastic surgery 15 years previously following open right tibial and fibular fractures associated with a large soft tissue defect. Biopsy of the enlarging mass, followed by wide surgical excision, confirmed the pathology to be MTT. Although the development of a high-grade soft tissue sarcoma has been previously reported as a late complication of radiation therapy following free flap reconstructions, we believe this is the first reported case of sarcomatous transformation arising in a vascularized, free muscle transfer.

Evaluation of Myocardial Strain in Patients With Amyloidosis Using Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking.

PURPOSE: To study the use of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) feature tracking technique in evaluation of myocardial amyloidosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CMR scans of 28 patients with biopsy proven myocardial amyloidosis and 35 controls were reviewed. Conventional short axis, vertical long axis, and 4-chamber cine steady-state free precession images from CMR scans were used to generate radial, circumferential, and longitudinal myocardial strain maps using feature tracking software. Global and regional peak radial, circumferential, and longitudinal strain values were computed. RESULTS: There were significant decreases in radial, circumferential, and longitudinal strains in patients with myocardial amyloidosis globally and across layers (all P < 0.001). Strain was relatively preserved for the apex and most affected for the basal level. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for base peak radial, circumferential, and longitudinal strain 0.899, 0.884, and 0.866 and cut offs of 22.9, -13.3, and -10.9, respectively, were determined by receiver operating characteristic analysis. CMR feature tracking strain analysis of base-level strain parameters was able to differentiate patients with myocardial amyloidosis from those without myocardial amyloid with high sensitivity (82.5%) and specificity (82.9%) particularly for radial strain. The maximum sensitivity (89.3%) was achieved if any of the 3 parameters were abnormal, and the maximum specificity (88.6%) when all 3 parameters were abnormal. CONCLUSION: Myocardial amyloidosis produces significant changes in regional and global strain parameters, and the peak radial and circumferential strain are the most affected at the basal layer.

Neonatal adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder: An incidental finding at 12 hours of life.

Adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder, although relatively common in adults, is a rare entity in the pediatric age group. Controversy still exists as to whether or not to perform followup ultrasound, as there is a questionable increased risk of gallbladder carcinoma in adults. We present a case of neonatal adenomyomatosis that was diagnosed at 12 hours of life in a term newborn.