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ARRS Meeting 2001 -> May 3^rd

101st American Roentgen Ray Society Meeting: May 3rd
reported by Joseph Gagliardi, M.D.

Scientific Paper Presentation Session 22, Musculoskeletal 5: Miscellaneous Topics started with a keynote address by J. Tehranzadeh, M.D. ( University of California Irvine Medical Center) about advanced imaging of synovial pathology. This talk followed many of the conclusions reached by an earlier speaker on a similar topic, Dr. W. Palmer (Massachusetts General Hospital) in that MR imaging detects bony involvement much earlier than routine radiographs. With the addition of gadolinium, MR can also detect synovial inflammation. The synovial disease can be monitored both before and after therapy to asses for response.

Paper 177. Monitoring Erosive Changes in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) with MRI: Results of a Longitudinal 2-year Study
S. Zaim and colleagues (University of San Francisco) followed 18 patients with RA over a two year period including radiographs and MR imaging of the hands/wrists. They reached the same conclusions as those of the keynote speaker. They also found that areas showing bone marrow edema on MR often went on to develop erosions from pannus formation. MR also appeared to show some areas of bony healing.

Paper 178. Perfusion Imaging in Paget's Disease of Bone with Functional MRI
M. Libicher and colleagues in Germany created time intensity curves and color-coded parameter images of the pelvis and lumbar spine in patients with Paget's disease following gadolinium administration. They found that dynamic contrast enhanced MRI offers the possibility to monitor disease activity.

Paper 179. MRI of Biodegradable Implants (BDI) and Their Degradation
T. Solbach and colleagues in Germany found that these radiolucent implants appear hypointense on all pulse sequences. Although there may be some susceptibility artifacts from small post-surgical metal debris, the implants can be easily evaluated with MRI. Examples of complications were also shown and diagnosed with MR imaging.

Paper 180. Does Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in the Proximal Femur Correlate with World-Class Triathlon Performance
D. Theodorou and colleagues found that BMD was significantly affected by cycling but not by swimming or running. This was unexpected as the authors thought that running would have had an effect on the BMD. Further studies will be needed.

Paper 181. Wooden Foreign Bodies: Imaging Appearance
J. Peterson and colleagues from the Mayo Clinic reported that wood was radiolucent on all radiographs, although some have reported 15% of wooden foreign bodies (WFB) can be seen. MRI showed WFB to be hypointense on all sequences. Ultrasound showed WFB to be hyperechoic with shadowing and CT showed WFB to be of high attenuation and best seen on bone windows. The authors felt that ultrasound was the best imaging modality to detect WFB. Also noted was that the age of the insult as well as possible coatings on the wood could affect these appearances.