MSK Flashcards
Osteoarthritis
- Articular cartilage breakdown
- Can involve, bone, synovium, ligaments, menisci, joint capsule, and musculature
- Imaging
- Asymmetrical joint space narrowing
- Sclerosis of subchondral bone
- Osteophytosis
- Subchondral cystic change
- Lack of periarticular osteopenia
Hand Osteoarthritis
- No Erosions
- Most common site - 2nd DIP
- DIP involvement most common with first CMC and PIPs following in order
- NO MCPs
- Heberden Nodule - Soft tissue swelling surrounding the DIP
- Bouchard Nodule - Soft tissue swelling surrounding the PIP
Shoulder Osteoarthritis
- Grashey View (Posterior view with 40 degree oblique/external rotation)
- Narrowing of the cartilage space in that orientation is diagnostic
Foot Osteoarthritis
- Most commonly affects the First MTP - causes hallux rigid with dorsal osteophytes
- Also affects the talonaviucular joint - causes dorsal beaking
Knee Osteoarthritis
- Three compartments in the knee
- Medial Tibiofemoral
- Lateral Tibiofemoral
- Patellofemoral
- Asymmetrical involvement of the medial tibiofemoral
- Severe can include all
- Osteophytes determine if OA is present
- Degree of joint narrowing is severity
- Best imaging - standing weight bearing, often in flexion
- Bilateral involvement is typical
Hip Osteoarthritis
- Bilateral involvement
- Includes typical features of OA
- Can have superolateral migration or medial migration
- **Axial migration is only in inflammatory arthritis.
Spine Degenerative Changes
- Osteoarthritic changes in spine can be i the facets, atlantoaxial, uncovertebral (C3-C7), and sacroiliac joints
- Intervertebral disk degeneration is known as degenerative disk disease. Desiccation of the intervertebral discs, endplate sclerosis, and osteophytosis.
- Vacuum phenomenon
- Complications include spinal stenosis, neural foramina stenosis and degenerative spondylolisthesis
Kummel Disease
- gas in there vertebral body compression fracture representing osteonecrosis
Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis
- Exuberant osteophytosis
- flowing bridging anterior ostreophytes at least four vertebral levels, with normal disc spaces and sacroiliac joint.
- Can cause dysphagia when seen in the cervical spine
- Associated with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament
OPLL ( ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament)
- As described
- Can be associated with spinal stenosis
- Difficult to identify on MRI
- Better visualized on CT
SI Osteoarthritis
- Superior portion is syndesmotic - no OA
- Inferior portion is synovial - OA
Erosive Osteoarthritis
- Clinical Findings of rheumatoid arthritis (swelling) with distrubtion of imaging arthritis associated with OA
- Same distribution as OA
- DIP
- CMC
- PIP
- GULL-WING of DIP- central erosion and marginal osteophytes
Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Autoimmune disorder
- Targets synovium waxing and waning inflammatory response
- Antibody against IgG, which activated complementary cascade
- Presents with symmetrical joint pain, swelling, and morning stiffness
- Hands and wrist early, maybe foot
- Late - cervical, knees, shoulder, hips
- Imaging Findings
- MARGINAL EROSIONS- within bare area (lateral area not covered by cartilage)
- soft tissue swelling
- diffuse, symmetric joint space narrowing
- periarticular osteopenia
- joint subluxations
Hand/Wrist RA
- Involves MCP/PIP/Carpals
- Earliest evidence - tissue swelling and periarticular osteopenia. reflects synovitis and hyperemia
- Erosions occur early - radial aspects of 2nd and 3rd MCP.
- Radial and Ulnar aspects of proximal phalanges
- Ulnar and Radial Styloid
- Joint subluxations not reducible
- Boutonniere - PIP flexion DIP hyperextensions
- Swan Neck - PIP hyperextension DIp flexion
- Late Stage –> ankylosis of wrist
Feet RA
- MTP and talocalcaneonavicular joint involvement
- 20% of patients have MTP involvement as first area
Hip RA
- Concentric acetabular cartilage loss
- Axial Migration of the femoral head
- Protrusio deformity - >3mm(M) or > 6mm (F) deviation beyond the ilioischial line.
Knee RA
- Involves all three joint spaces in the knee
- less likely to have erosions when compared to other joints with RA involvement
Spine RA
- Cervical Spine, rarely lumbar and thoracic
- 70% of patients have spinal involvement
- Subluxation, osteopenia, erosions of the odontoid, facets, vertebral endplates, and spinous processes.
- No bone production
- Anterior Atlantoaxial subluxation - Flexion radiographs
- secondary to laxity of the transverse ligaments
- Atlantodental interval > 2.5mm
- Vertical Atlantoaxial subluxation - protrusion of the odontoid through the Forman magnum. Can compress midbrain
- Radiograph - Odontoid no visible. anterior arch of C1 sinks to level of C2
- Posterior Atlantoaxial subluxation - Secondary to odontoid erosion/fracture
Shoulder RA
- High riding humerus (chronic rotator cuff tears)
- Erosions in lateral aspect of the humeral heads
- Erosions of the AC joint - peniciling of the distal clavicle
Elbow RA
- 1/3 of patients.
Seronegative Arthropathies
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Psoriatic Arthritis
- Reactive Arthritis
- IBD associated arthritis
Sacroilitis
- Only involves the synovial portion (inferior SI)
- Erosive changes on the iliac portion first
- Symmetric - Ankylosing spondylitis, IBD associated
- Asymmetric - Reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis
Septic Arthritis
- Unilateral arthritis
- Immunocompromised or IV drug user
- Erosive changes associated with fever
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Symmetrical
- Associated with ulcerative colitis, whipple disease, s/p gastric bypass, and Crohns
Ankylosing Spondylitis
- HLA-B27, young men, back pain, stiffness
- Associated with upper lobe pulmonary fibrosis, cardiac conduction defects, and aortitis
- Symmetric erosions, widening and sclerosis of SI joint
- Spine involved –> progression from lumbar to cervical
- Romanus lesions - erosions of anterior superior/inferior edges caused by enthesitis (inflammation of tendon) at annulus fibrosis insertion site
- Shiny corners - sclerosis of prior Romanus Lesions
- Squaring of the vertebral body disc margins
- Delicate syndesmophytes - bony bridging connective cerebral margins creating bamboo spine
- Fully ankylosed spine - high risk of fracture with even minor trauma
Andersson lesion - pseudoarthrosis of ankylosed spine
Psoriatic Arthritis
- Arthropathy with skin psoriasis
- Affects the hands
- Mineralization is perserved
- Asymmetric sacroilitis
- Diffuse soft tissue swelling of the digit - SAUSAGE DIGIT
- Pencil in cup erosions - characteristic affecting DIPs
- starts as marginal erosions and progresses centrally
- Bone proliferation may occur adjacent to the erosions
- Severe arthritis form causes telescoping digits
- FOOT- IP and MTP digits are involved. Ivory phalanx represents osteoscleorsis . Plantar calcaneus spur with periosteal reaction
Spine - lateral bony outgrowths
Reactive Arthritis
- Inflammatory Arthritis associated with sequela of infectious diarrhea, urethritis, or cervicitis
- Predominantly in the feet - similar to psoriatic
- Diffuse soft tissue swelling
- joint space loss
- marginal erosions
- juxta-articular osteopenia
- Bony mineralization is perserved in later stages
- Calcaneus most common site
- erosions, enthesophytes, fluffy periosteal reactions
- Posterior - superior aspect of the calcaneus
- achilles tendinitis
- HANDS - ITP and MTP erosions, diaphysial periostitis
- SPINE - Lateral coarse bony bridging
- Sacroilliac joints - Asymmetric joints.
- Association with Chlamydia, Shigella, Salmonella, Yersinia, and Campylobacter
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- 90% of patient have joint abnormalities
- Reducible subluxation when hands are viewed on PA and hands are compressed against plate
- Ballcatchers/Norgaard view and oblique view don’t put constraint on hands and how subluxations
Jaccoud Arthropathy
- Secondary vs Rheumatic fever vs SLE
- Type III hypersensitivity
- Reducible subluxations
Scleroderma
- Systemic collagen vascular disease
- collagen deposition in skin and soft tissues
- Soft tissue wasting
- Osteoperosis
- Acroosteolysis
- Distal fingers affected first with atrophy of distal soft tissues
- Dystrophic soft tissues and periarticular calcifications common in scleroderma tightening and fibrosis of the skin leading to joint contractures
- After the skin the GI tract is most frequently involved.
- Esophogeal dysmotility/dilation, patulous GE junction, dilated small bowel with closely spaced thin folds, wide mouthed sacculations.
- Some develop pulmonary fibrosis
Acroosteolysis
- resorption of the distal portion of the distal phalanges
- can have associated calcifications
- DDX
- Collagen vascular disease (including scleroderma)
- Neuropathy
- Polyvinyl chloride exposure
- Thermal (frost bite or burn) - thumb spared in frostbite
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Hajdu - Cheney - autosomal dom - short stature, craniofacial changes, progressive acroosteolysis
Polymyositis/dermatomyositis
- Polymyositis - muscle inflammation
- Dermatomyositis - muscle and skin inflammation
- Soft tissue calcifications seen on imaging
- predominantly intramuscular, can be seen subs
- Periarticular Osteopenia
Calcium Hydroxyapatite disease
- AKA calcific tendinitis
- crystal deposited in the periarticular tissues
- do not deposit in the joints but instead amorphous calcification within tendons
- Shoulder - supraspinatus tendon
- Longus Colli - causes neck pain, odynophagia, fever, precertebral effusions - mimics prevertebral abscess
- Milwaukee Shoulder - INTRA-ARTICULAR rapid destruction of rotator cuff and glenohumeral joint
Calcium Pyrophosphate Dihydrate Deposition Disease (CPPD)
- Inflammatory arthropathy caused by INTRA-ARTICULAR deposition of CPPD crystals
- 2/2 idiopathic, hemochromatosis, hyperparathyroidism, hypophosphatasia
- Rhomboid positively birefringent
- Imaging
- chondrocalcinosis - calc of hyaline(articular) and Fibrosis(meniscal) cartilage
- Radiographs of knees, hips, wrist are diangositc
- Wrist - affects the triangular fibrocartilage complex. Advanced disease can cause SLAC wrist
- Knee - Patelofemoral space first involved with all 3 compartments eventually involved. Prominent subchondral cysts
- Hand - 2nd and 3rd MTP - hook like or drooping osteophytes
- Spine - calcification of the ligaments of the dens
Scalpholunate Advanced Collapse Wrist (SLAC Wrist)
- Proximal Migration of capitate between dissociated scaphoid and lunate
- Capitate slips in between widened scaphoid and lunate
Gout
- Needle negatively birefringent
- Sodium urate deposition in joints - inflammatory arthropathy
- Great toe commonly involved -
- Imaging
- sharply marinated erosions with overhanging margins, soft-tissue gouty top
- joint spaces preserved until late into the disease.
Hemochromatosis
- Impaired iron metabolism
- Deposition of Iron and CPPD
- MCP joints involved with hook like osteophytes
- Mimic CPPD arthropathy but instead of just 2nd and 3rd MCP all MCPs are involved
Acromegaly
- Arthropathy secondary to enlargement of the articular cartilage with subsequent degeneration
- Initial disease - widening of the joint spaces
- Later disease - narrowing of cartilage space
- Beak like osteophytes of Metacarpal heads
- Spade like enlargement of the terminal tufts
Hematogenous Osteomyelitis
- High vascularity associated with high metabolic activity as well as slow flow in the venous sinusoids accounts for the trapping of hematogenous organisms and development of osteomyelitis.
- Sagittal T2 fat-saturated MR image confirms bone marrow edema and soft tissue inflammatory changes centered within the metaphysis
- AP radiograph of the ankle shows ill-defined bone resorption at the metaphysis with delicate periosteal reaction
Non- Accidental Trauma
- Periosteal reaction may be the sole radiographic finding in cases of nonaccidental trauma, but it is nonspecific.
Charcot Joint
- The rapid destruction of the talonavicular joint with large effusion and debris is typical of a neuropathic joint.
- The calcaneal insufficiency fracture is also typical of diabetic patients.
FOOSH Pattern of Injury
- Most frequently this injury results in Salter-Harris fracture of the distal radius in a child
- Scaphoid fracture in a young adult
- Colles fracture in an older adult.
Amyloid Athropathy
- Rare non-inflammatory arthropathy
- Infiltration of the soft tissues and bones by pleated B sheets of amino acids
- Primary systemic - monoclonal plasma cell dyscrasia
- Secondary - underlying inflammation or infection
- B2 microgloblin secondary to chronic hemodyalysis
- Bulky soft-tissue nodules in shoulder super-imposed on atrophic shoulder
- Imaging
- resembles RA
- intra-articular deposition cause articular cartilage deposition
- soft tissue nodules and erosions may be present
Ochronosis
- Manifestations of the alkaptonuria within connective tissue
- Alkaptonuria - defect in homogentisic acid oxidase- urine black on air exposure
- Intervertebral calcification with disc height loss at every level
- negative for significant osteophytosis along the cervical and thoracic spine.
- Disease may involve the knees and glenohumeral joints, and hips. may also include the DIP and thumb CMC.
Multicentric reticulohistiocystosis
- Lipid laden macrophages are deposited in soft tissues and periarticular tendons, forming skin nodules and erosions with sclerotic margins
- well defined erosions tend to affect the DIP joints symmetrically
- soft tissues nodules and preserved bone density
Hemophilic Athropathy
- X linked inherited disorder
- Recurrent hemarthrosis results in synovial hypertrophy and hyperemia.
- Epiphyseal enlargement and early fusion.
- Elbow - enlarged radial head and widening of the trochlear notch
- Knee - Squaring of the patella and widened intercondylar notch.
- Secondary arthritis may lead to marked joint space narrowing
- Iron in synovium causes increased soft-tissue density around joints
- Pseudotumor of Hemophilia - benign lesion caused b recurrent intraosseous or subperisoteal bleeding. Chronic cyclical bleeding leads to bony scalloping and pressure erosion, often with soft tissue mass.
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
- related chronic inflammatory arthropathies affecting children under age 16
- Monoarticular - affects single joint usually in knees, ankles, elbows, wrist
- Polyarticular - hands feet and cervical spine as well as monoarticular joints
- Still Disease - variant of JIA, systemic disease in children younger than 5. acute febrile illness, rash, adenopathy, pericarditis, and mild arthralgias
- Abnormal bone length air morphology 2/2 hyperemia.
- Earlier onset of disease can cause growth disturbances
- Epiphyseal overgrowth and enlargement of ends of bone. Premature skeletal maturation aphyseal fusions
- Knee - widening intracondylar notch, metaphysical flaring, uniform joint space narrowing
- Elbow- Radial head enlargement and widening of trochlear notch
- Hip Symmetrical cartilage space narrowing, profusion deformities, and gracile of femoral shaft (thinning/narrowing).
- Wrist - Ankylosis
- Cervical Spine ankylosis of sygapophyseal joint.(DDX Kulippel Feil Syndrome
Heterotopic Ossification
- Immature osteoid is seen in the first 4-6 weeks following injury, with the lesion developing more mature bone peripherally in the weeks following that.
Acro-osteolysis
- Resorption of the great toe
- Hallmark in psoriatic arthritis
Acetabular Fracture Evaluation
- Acetabular fractures can be identified on frontal views of the pelvis but are not optimally profiled for additional characterization and classification.
- Bilateral 45° oblique images of the pelvis (Judet views) are considered standard for additional radiographic assessment, such as profiling of the posterior column component of an acetabular fracture.
Plastic/Bowing Fracture
- Bowing fractures (also known as plastic bowing deformity) are the most subtle form of greenstick injury. Careful attention to the morphology of the developing skeleton is needed in order to detect the injury.
Supracondylar Fracture - Children
- The combination of effusion, shown by the positive fat pad sign, and the posterior displacement of the distal humerus, indicated by the abnormal anterior humeral line, indicates a supracondylar fracture.
Anterior Humeral Line
- The anterior humeral line (line extended down the anterior humeral cortex) should intersect the middle 1/3 of the capitellum.
Hill-Sachs Visualization
- A Hill-Sachs fracture (impaction fracture of the superior, posterolateral humeral head) related to prior anterior shoulder dislocation.
- These fractures are reliably and directly seen only on AP internal rotation views; they are often completely masked on the other views unless they are large
Boutonniere Fracture
- Avulsion fractures of the fingers are most frequently seen on lateral views. If there is a “boutonniere” deformity (flexed proximal interphalangeal (PIP) and extended distal interphalangeal (DIP)) without fracture, it represents a disruption of the middle slip of the extensor tendon.
Soft - Tissue Mallet Finger
- Distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint flexion, while the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint is in extension, is typical of mallet (or baseball injury). Without avulsion, a tendon rupture must be diagnosed.
Bisphosphonate Fracture
- Many patients have started using bisphosphonates in an effort to maintain bone density. It is believed that in reducing the amount of bone turnover (suppressing the activity of osteoclasts), the therapy can lead to an accumulation of skeletal microfractures, increasing the risk of insufficiency fractures. Accordingly, there has been recent note of an increase in a very unusual fracture pattern in these patients: subtrochanteric and transverse, without significant trauma, as in this case.
Monteggia Fracture
- The Monteggia fracture is used to describe any dislocation of the radius with an associated fracture of the ulnar shaft. The majority of injuries involve anterior displacement of the radius and a fracture of the proximal 1/3 of the ulnar diaphysis with apex anterior angulation. This fracture-dislocation pattern is more frequently seen in children than in adults.
Galeazzi Fracture
- A Galeazzi fracture-dislocation consists of a radial shaft fracture plus distal radioulnar joint dislocation, both of which are not present in this case.
Unicompartemental Patellofemoral implant + Knee Implants.
- These prostheses are placed when osteoarthritis is confined to a single compartment. These are contraindicated in patients with an inflammatory arthropathy. The other options are terms used for hardware in and around the knee but are not appropriate for this case. A semiconstrained component has a peg extending from the femur to the tibia that allows rotation of a total knee prosthesis. A modular prosthesis typically includes replacement of a portion of the distal femur or proximal tibia. Compress fit refers to a prosthesis fixation device, usually placed in the distal diaphysis of the femur that involves an intramedullary post with traversing pins.
Fabella, Cyamela, Meniscal Ossicle
- the most common ossicles and seasmoid bones in the posterior knee
- The meniscal ossicle is along the posteriomedial aspect of the knee. Can be intrameniscal appearance when looking at CT or MRI.
Achilles Tendon Tear - Caution
- Plantaris tendon can make a full thickness tear of the ACL only seem partly ripped.
- The tendon is present in 90% of people.
Periosteal Desmoid
- AKA - avulsive cortical irregularity, distal metaphyseal femoral defect, cortical desmoid, medial supracondylar defect of the femur
- seen along the posteromedial defect along the distal end of the femur
- located near the adductor magnus aponeurosis or the origin of the medial head of the gastrocnemius tendon.
- Ages 15-20, a reaction to trauma.
- Imaging
XR - lucent saucer-like defect
T1 hypointense
t2 hyperintense
Signs of infection in Tendon Sheath
- Thickened enhancing rim of synovium with the tendon sheath.
- Debris within the fluid
- Increased T2 signal in the tendon
- Tendon tear
- Adjacent soft tissue infection
Sequestrum
- Necrotic bone surrounded by purulent material or granulation tissue.
Involucrum
- Bone shell surrounding the sequestrum and the infected tissue
Cloaca
- Cortical and periosteal defect that allows pus to drain from the infected medullary cavity into the adjacent surrounding tissues.
Pyomyositis
- intramuscular abscess with an enhancing peripheral rim.
- Inflammation in the adjacent soft tissues
- No changes in the bone marrow signal to suggest osteomyelitis
- No enhancement of the deep fascia to suggest necrotizing fasciitis
MR characteristic of pedal osteomyelitis
- T1 low signal in a geographic medullary distribution
- T2 high signal in the same region with same distribution
T1 signal associated with reactive edema but not osteomyleltis
- Low, hazy reticulated, low subcortical low subchondral
Abscess Characteristics
- Thick enhancing rim
- Central T1 low and T2 high signal
Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis
- Autoimmune disorder
- Bone biopsy show inflammation with histiocytes, lymphocytes, and plasma cells.
- Blood cultures typically negative.
- Children aged 9-14
Osseous Changes of Osteomyelitis
- First 1 -2 weeks - no osseous changes
- Earliest sign is indistinctness of the cortex
- Permeative osseous destruction, endosteal scalloping, and periosteal reaction follow after
- Later - Formation of sequestrum, involucrum or abscess
MRI characteristics of Gangrene
- Areas of non-enhancement
- Indicates devitalized tissue.
- Gas in itself is not enough to diagnose gangrene as there can be communications with the skin
Cellulitis vs Soft tissue edema
- Contrast enhancement of the involved area is more indicative of cellulitis than soft tissue edema
- T1 hypointense to fat and T2 hyperintense to the muscle can be seen with both.
- Skin ulceration not required to make diagnosis of cellulitis
MRI signs of Osteomyelitis superimposed on neuropathic joint
- Sinus tracts
- replacement of the soft tissue fat
- Fluid collections
- Disappearance of subchondral cysts on sequential imaging
- Extensive marrow abnormalities
- NO OSTEO Signs
- thin rim enhancement of the joint effusions
- presence of subchondral cysts
- intrareticular loose bodies
Posterior Sternoclavicular dislocation
- Posterior SC dislocation is less common than anterior and results from substantial force, either direct or indirect.
- It is more common in males than females and may result in injury to the adjacent arch vessels or trachea.
- Though the serendipity view, an angled AP view, historically was used to make this diagnosis and may be effective, CT is definitive; because of the clinical impact of this diagnosis, CT is the imaging method that should be used.