Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is not really an arthropathy because it spares synovium, articular cartilage, and articular osseous surfaces. It is a fairly common ossification process involving ligamentous and tendinous attachments to bones and occurs in 12% of the elderly (55). It most commonly affects the thoracic spine but also may involve the pelvis, […]
Category Archives: Musculoskeletal Imaging
The advent of the multidetector CT (MDCT) scanner has increased the applicability of this imaging technique for the assessment of the musculoskeletal system. This technology allows for the acquisition of large data set in the axial plane that can be reconstructed in multiple planes of imaging with the use of multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) algorithm.
It is also known as pseudogout and has the classic triad of pain, cartilage calcification, and joint destruction. Chondrocalcinosis at the knee, wrist, or symphysis pubis is virtually diagnostic of calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate deposition disease (CPPD) (Fig. 6-42). FIGURE 6-42. Chondrocalcinosis. Frontal radiograph of the right knee. Calcifications (arrows) are present within the medial and […]
Gout is a metabolic disorder that most commonly involves the feet, especially the first metatarsophalangeal joint, as well as the ankles, knees, hands, and elbows in asymmetric fashion. It is produced by a deposition of monosodium urate crystals in tissues with a poor blood supply, such as cartilage, tendon sheaths, and bursae. The radiographic features […]
Rheumatoid arthritis is a connective tissue disorder of unknown etiology that can affect any synovial joint in the body. It is a bilaterally symmetric inflammatory degenerative disease that involves the following joints in order of decreasing frequency: : Small joints of the hands and feet, with the exception of the distal interphalangeal joints Knees Hips […]
Osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease (DJD) is an asymmetric, usually bilateral mechanical degenerative process that involves joints significantly involved in weight bearing, such as the hip, knee, and spine, and those involved in frequent repetitive mechanical trauma, such as the distal interphalangeal joints of the fingers, trapezium–first metacarpal joint, trapezium- scaphoid joint, and metatarsophalangeal joint […]
Technetium-99 scintigraphy has been valuable for detecting stress fractures of metatarsal and tarsal bones, and CT has high accuracy for detecting osteochondral fracture. In foot pain of undetermined etiology, however, MRI is an excellent screening modality because it permits direct evaluation of all osseous and soft-tissue structures. MRI is superior to any other modality in […]
Previously, arthrography and tenography were the primary means of imaging ankle ligament injuries. They had the limitations of being invasive, providing only an indirect depiction of ankle ligament disruption, and yielding potentially false- negative results. MRI provides a noninvasive means of directly imaging all the ligaments in the vicinity of the ankle as well as […]
Patellar tendinitis (jumper’s knee) is demonstrated by MRI as an area of edema within the patellar ligament (i.e., tendon) at its patellar (Fig. 6-28) or tibial tuberosity attachment. There is also associated edema in the adjacent subcutaneous fat or the infrapatellar fat pad. FIGURE 6-28. Sagittal T2-weighted fat suppressed image of patellar tendinitis. The arrow […]
The collateral ligaments are best visualized by coronal MR images (Fig. 6-27). The medial collateral ligament appears as a narrow low–signal-intensity band extending from the medial epicondyle of the femur to an attachment on the anteromedial aspect of the tibia 5 to 6 cm below the joint line. It is overlaid at its tibial attachment […]
The cruciate ligaments are best visualized by sagittal or oblique sagittal MR images that display the full length of the ligaments (Fig. 6-24A). On straight sagittal images, the slender nature of the anterior cruciate ligament and its oblique course cause a volume-averaging effect that averages fat signal intensity about the ligaments with the normal low […]
