Faculty Bibliography

Because of failure to fully respond to an initial intraarticular injection of dysprosium 165-ferric hydroxide macroaggregates, 17 patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis underwent repeat radiation synovectomy using this agent. Of the 13 patients who were evaluated 1 year later, 54% (7 knees) had good results, 31% (4 knees) had fair results, and 15% (2 knees) had poor results. The initial lack of significant benefit from radiation synovectomy did not appear to preclude a favorable response to a second injection

Benign solitary schwannomas of the foot are a rare occurrence; only four cases have been previously reported. A schwannoma associated with the medial plantar nerve present for more than 40 years before the onset of symptoms was diagnosed in a 73-year-old man. Excision of the mass, with preservation of the involved nerve, was possible and successfully relieved symptoms

Part II of this two-part article reviews differential diagnosis of common geriatric knee disorders. Differentiating extra-articular from intra-articular causes of knee pain is stressed, since treatments and prognoses can be quite different. Referred pain from the ipsilateral hip and spine should also be kept in mind. The diagnostic approach to knee pain can be categorized anatomically and according to etiology: Is the pain coming from the bone (patella, femur, tibia, fibula), or the soft tissue (ligament, tendon, capsule, synovium, meniscus, muscle)? Is it degenerative, inflammatory, metabolic, traumatic, infectious, or neoplastic? These issues are included in the discussion

We describe a patient who had septic arthritis caused by Clostridium perfringens. Clostridial organisms are very uncommon causes of septic arthritis. Only 13 cases have been reported previously. The diagnosis should be suspected in patients with a history of penetrating joint trauma and in immunocompromised patients. Successful treatment has usually consisted of surgical synovectomy in combination with high-dose intravenous penicillin therapy. Multiple aspirations of affected joints as a definitive treatment should be used with caution and only in patients who are not candidates for surgery

It is important to remember that knee disorders seen in the elderly are distinctly different from those seen in the younger individual. In the elderly, the problems are generally the result of chronic processes and, occasionally, an acute process on top of a chronic disorder. A careful history and physical examination should enable the physician in most cases to make the correct diagnosis. However, at times, specific laboratory studies may be ordered to confirm the diagnosis. In part I of this two-part review of geriatric knee disorders, the authors will focus on the anatomy, history, and physical examination of the knee joint. Common knee disorders specific to the elderly will be discussed in part II

Hip pain in the elderly can result in severe disability with compromise of independence. The causes of hip pain include many intrinsic and extrinsic disorders. Evaluation of the geriatric patient with pain in the vicinity of the hip requires a complete history and physical, radiographic evaluation and appropriate laboratory studies in order for proper management to be instituted

The biomechanical characteristics of anatomic reduction versus medial displacement osteotomy were compared for four-part intertrochanteric fractures experimentally produced in cadaver femurs. Eighteen pairs of femurs were assigned randomly to either the anatomic (A) or the medial displacement (MD) group and instrumented with multiple strain gauges. The femurs in the MD group were tested while intact and following four-part fracture with fixation. The femurs in the A group were first tested intact, followed by a stable two-part fracture with fixation, and then by a four-part fracture with fixation and perfect reduction of the posteromedial fragment (PMF) with a lag screw, partial reduction of the PMF, and with the PMF omitted. All fractures were fixed with a 135 degrees, four-hole, sliding hip screw. The strain distribution in the MD group changed significantly after fracture. The plate tensile strain increased by 360% while the compressive calcar strain decreased 85%. The plate tensile strain in the A group also increased significantly after four-part fracture when the PMF was perfectly reduced (160%), partially reduced (290%), or discarded (275%); the calcar compressive strains for these subgroups decreased approximately 50%. This laboratory study indicates that anatomic reduction of four-part intertrochanteric fractures with the sliding hip screw, regardless of the presence or position of the PMF, provides significantly higher compression across the calcar region and significantly lower tensile strain on the plate than fractures reduced by medial displacement osteotomy. The more physiologic strain distribution and the increased medial load transmission support the use of anatomic reduction for the treatment of unstable intertrochanteric fractures

One hundred and eleven patients who had seropositive rheumatoid arthritis and persistent synovitis of the knee were treated with intra-articular injection of 270 millicuries of dysprosium-165 bound to ferric hydroxide macroaggregates. A two-year follow-up was available for fifty-nine of the treated knees. Thirty-nine had a good result; nine, a fair result; and eleven, a poor result. Of the twenty-five knees that had Stage-I radiographic changes, nineteen had a good result. Of the thirty-four knees that had Stage-II radiographic changes, twenty showed a good result. Systemic spread of the radioactivity from the injected joint was minimum. The mean whole-body dose was calculated to be 0.3 rad and that to the liver twenty-four hours after injection, 3.2 rads. The results indicated that dysprosium-165-ferric hydroxide macroaggregate is an effective agent for performing radiation synovectomy, particularly in knees that have Stage-I radiographic changes. Because of the minimum rate of systemic spread of the dysprosium-165, it offers a definite advantage over agents that previously have been used

Shoulder pain in the geriatric patient is a common presentation encountered by primary care physicians. Proper evaluation requires an understanding of the pertinent anatomy, a thorough physical examination, and a knowledge of common shoulder disorders that occur in this population. This article provides information needed to evaluate the geriatric patient with shoulder pain. Common causes of shoulder pain--both intrinsic and extrinsic--and their management will be reviewed

One hundred and twenty one knees in 97 patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis and persistent knee synovitis were treated with the intra-articular injection of 270 mCi (30 GBq) of dysprosium-165 (165Dy) bound to ferric hydroxide macroaggregates. Of 81 knees evaluated at one year, 61% had good results, 23% had fair results and 16% had poor results. Of 44 knees evaluated at two years, 64% had good results, 16% had fair results and 20% had poor results. Knees with Stage I radiographic changes showed 72 and 81% good results at one and two years, respectively. Knees and Stage II radiographic changes showed 53 and 48% good results at one and two years, respectively. Leakage of radioactivity from the injected joint was minimal. Mean leakage to the venous blood was 0.15% of the injected dose. Mean leakage to the liver 24 h after injection was 0.64% of the injected dose. Mean leakage to the draining inguinal lymph nodes was 0.17% of the injected dose. These results indicate that 165Dy-ferric hydroxide macroaggregate is an effective agent for radiation synovectomy, particularly in knees with Stage I radiographic changes. The minimal leakage rates observed offer a definite advantage over previously used agents