Sagittal plane articulation of the contralateral knee of subjects with posterior cruciate ligament deficiency: an observational study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of the present study was to compare the in vivo articulation of the healthy knee to the contralateral knee of subjects with acute and chronic PCL injuries.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Magnetic resonance was used to generate sagittal images of 10 healthy knees and 10 knees with isolated PCL injuries (5 acute and 5 chronic). The subjects performed a supine leg press against a 150 N load. Images were generated at 15 degree intervals as the knee flexed from 0 to 90 degrees. The tibiofemoral contact (TFC), and the centre of the femoral condyle (as defined by the flexion facet centre (FFC)), were measured from the posterior tibial cortex.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was no significant difference in the TFC and FFC between the healthy knee and contralateral knee of subjects with acute and chronic PCL injuries in the medial and lateral compartments of the knee.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The findings of this study suggest there is no predisposing articulation abnormality to PCL injury, in the setting of chronic injury the contralateral knee does not modify its articulation profile and the contralateral knee can be used as a valid control when evaluating the articulation of the PCL deficient knee.</p

Magnetic resonance imaging study of alteration of tibiofemoral joint articulation after posterior cruciate ligament injury

Cadaveric studies have shown that the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is an important constraint to posterior translation of the tibia. Arthroscopic studies have shown that chronic PCL injuries predispose to articular cartilage lesions in the medial compartment and the patellofemoral joint. The aim of the present study was to investigate sagittal plane articulation of the tibiofemoral joint of subjects with an isolated PCL injury.Magnetic resonance was used to generate sagittal images of 10 healthy knees and 10 knees with isolated PCL injuries. The subjects performed a supine leg press against a 150. N load. Images were generated at 15° intervals as the knee flexed from 0 to 90°. The tibiofemoral contact and the flexion facet centre (FFC) were measured from the posterior tibial cortex.The contact pattern and FFC was significantly more anterior in the injured knee from 45 to 90° of knee flexion in the medial compartment compared to the healthy knee. The greatest difference between the mean TFC points of both groups occurred at 75 and 90°, the difference being 4. mm and 5. mm respectively. The greatest difference between the mean FFC of both groups occurred at 75° of flexion, which was 3. mm. There was no significant difference in the contact pattern and FFC between the injured and healthy knees in the lateral compartment.Our findings show that there is a significant difference in the medial compartment sagittal plane articulation of the tibiofemoral joint in subjects with an isolated PCL injury

Optic neuritis associated with Q fever: Case report and literature review

Optic neuritis (ON) is a rare association of Q fever. We report the first case of ON associated with Q fever in Australia and review all previously reported cases in the medical literature. The impact of therapy with antibiotics and steroids on outcome is discussed. Q fever should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with apparent acute idiopathic ON

Anatomic variations of levator scapulae in a normal cohort: an MRI study

Purpose: Accessory attachments of the levator scapulae (LS) muscle have been described in the literature in previous cadaveric studies, but there is little knowledge about the incidence and distribution. Knowledge of LS accessory attachments is relevant to clinicians working in the fields of radiology, surgery, neurology, and musculoskeletal medicine. The purpose of this study was to explore the incidence and spectrum of LS caudal accessory attachments in vivo using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in a young cohort. Methods: MR images of the cervical spine were obtained from 37 subjects (13 males and 24 females) aged 18–36 years using an axial T1-weighted spin echo sequence acquired from a 3-Tesla MR scanner. The LS muscle was identified, and the presence of caudal accessory attachments was recorded and described. Results: LS caudal accessory attachments were identified in 16 subjects (4 right, 6 left, and 6 bilateral; 12 female). Ten had unilateral accessory attachments to the serratus anterior, serratus posterior superior or the first/second rib. Four had bilateral accessory attachments to serratus anterior. One had bilateral accessory attachments to serratus posterior superior and unilateral accessory attachment to serratus anterior. One had bilateral attachments to both muscles. Conclusions: Both unilateral and bilateral LS caudal accessory attachments were present in nearly half of the subjects examined. They were relatively more frequent in females than males. The findings indicate that these accessory attachments are common, and in some cases, those accessory attachments can occur bilaterally and to more than one site. © 2016, Springer-Verlag France