Clinical imaging
-
To evaluate the benefit of fluoroscopy-guided lumbar spine interventional procedures in treatment of low back pain. ⋯ Lumbar injections improved pain/disability related to discogenic lumbar spinal diseases. Efficacy of facet and sacroiliac injections is limited.
-
Comparative Study
Apparent diffusion coefficients of sacroiliitis in patients with established ankylosing spondylitis.
To compare apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) of sacroiliac joints (SIJs) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients during advanced-active and advanced-nonactive stages. ⋯ ADCs lower than 0.69 × 10-3 mm(2)/s, obtained at subchondral aspect of SIJs of established AS patients with chronic changes, which this number represents the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) best cutoff value, can be considered as normal without possible residual inflammation of concern.
-
Spontaneous spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are increasingly recognized in patients presenting with orthostatic headache and ultimately diagnosed with intracranial hypotension. While the precise cause of these spontaneous leaks is unknown, it is thought to result from underlying weakness in the spinal meninges and may be associated with meningeal diverticula or Tarlov cysts. Rarely, calcified intervertebral discs or bony osteophytes can result in CSF leakage, which has been described in the surgery literature but not well recognized in the radiology literature. The authors present three cases of patients presenting with CSF leaks from calcified thoracic disc protrusions that were successfully treated with epidural blood patches.