Radiology Flashcards
What would MRIs show?
- Bone outlines (less detailed)
- soft tissue pathologies
- bone marrow
- discs
- ligaments
- spinal cord
- nerves
What are the 3 normal curvatures of the spine?
- cervical lordosis
- thoracic kyphosis
- lumbar lordosis
What is the smallest vertebrate region?
- Cervical
What are the 2 main sections of each vertebrate?
- vertebral body
- posterior arch
What is the posterior arch of a vertebral body composed of?
- 2 pedicles
- 2 laminae
- 1 spinous process
- 2 transverse processes
What lies inferior to the pedicle?
- Neural foramen
What is transmitted in the neural foramen?
- spinal nerve
What is unique about the C1 vertebrate?
- no vertebral body
What is unique about the C2 vertebrate?
- has an odontoid process which projects superiorly to C1
Explain the appearance of a brust fracture on x-ray?
- Loss of vertebral height compared to normal
What causes a burst fracture?
- axial compression
What is a potential consequence of a burst fracture?
- Bone retro-pulsed into spinal nerves
- can compress the cauda equina
What is responsible for spinal stability?
- the intervertebral ligaments
How can ligaments be seen?
- MRI
Explain intervertebral disc disease?
- healthy discs are pliable and contain water
- discs may dehydrate
Explain disc herniation
- disc material may herniate through the disc lining into the spinal canal
- may press on spinal nerves
- nerve pressure produced sciatica
Define primary osteoarthritis?
- OA in an expected joint
- e.g. spine, hip, knee, thumb base or DIP
Define secondary osteoarthritis?
- OA in an unexpected joint
What are the radiological features of osteoarthritis?
- Asymmetrical joint space reduction
- osteophytes
- sclerosis
- cyst formation
What are the common joints affected by rheumatoid arthritis?
- MCP
- MTP
- PIP
- Wrists
What are the radiological features of rheumatoid arthritis?
- synovial effusion
- hyperaemia (bone demineralisation)
- pannus erosion
- deformity
Seronegative arthritides comprise of what 2 main clinical features?
- synovitis
- enthesitis
Define enthesitis?
- inflammation at sites where ligaments and tendons attach to bone
What are the radiological features of the Seronegative arthritides
- sacro-iliac joint involvement
- enthesitis
- ankylosis
Explain an isotope bone scan
- injection of radioactive material
- inflamed joints receive more isotope and look ‘hot’
Elbow effusion will appear as what?
- visible fat pad sign posterior
Children’s fractures?
- soft so prone to bend or bow
- greenstick (incomplete fracture)
Bucket fracture and plastic bowing is associated with what age group?
- Children
What is the weakest region of developing bone?
- growth plate (physis)
What classification system is used for children’s fractures?
- Salter-harris classification
Bony ring injuries expect to see___
- 2 or more injuries
Elderly women falls onto outstretched hand? What fracture most likely?
- Colles fracture
Explain the affect of colles fracture
- dorsal angulation of radius
Intra-capsular femoral fracture risk?
- risk to blood supply
- Avascular necrosis risk
What type of femoral fracture has a AVN (avascular necrosis risk)
- intra-capsular
How do you treat an intra-capsular femoral fracture
- hemiarthroplasty
How do you treat a extra-capsular femoral fracture?
- internal fixation
Explain an acute avulsion fracture
- a small chunk of bone attached to a tendon or ligament gets pulled away from the main part of the bone
Where are some normal anatomy sites that may mimic an avulsion fracture?
- sesamoid bones
- accessory ossification centres
- old non-united fractures
A visible posterior fat pad is always abnormal.
True or false?
- TRUE
What is a Salter-Harris fracture?
- Fracture to the growth plate
A young to middle aged man with pain in the anatomical snuffbox. What fracture?
- scaphoid fracture
Surgical neck of humerus fracture may have what complication?
- damage to axillary nerve
What radiograph view must be performed in a suspected posterior shoulder dislocation?
- oblique vire
What fracture are you assessing when you check the humerocapitellar alignment?
- supracondylar fracture
- injury to the narrowest part of the humerus
What is the name of the line that marks the point between intra-capsular and extra-casual femoral fractures?
- Inter-trochanter line
- proximal = intra-capsular
- distal = extra-capsular
What would a knee effusion appear like on x-ray?
- effusion will fill the normal suprapatellar fat pad, deep to the quadriceps tendon
What is a ‘bumper injury’?
- tibial plateau fracture
- valgus force with foot planted
What must be remembered when examining a foot x-ray?
- the 5th metatarsal has an accessory ossification centre
- should not be confused with a vertical fracture
