Osteonecrosis associated with HIV infection

OBJECTIVE

To report cases of osteonecrosis in patients who were HIV positive but had no apparent risk factors for osteonecrosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A computer search of records from two university-affiliated teaching hospitals yielded eight cases of osteonecrosis in HIV-positive patients and patients with AIDS. The patients' charts and radiographic records were reviewed to determine possible risk factors for osteonecrosis.

RESULTS

In four of the eight patients no definite risk factors for osteonecrosis could be found.

CONCLUSION

Osteonecrosis may be a musculoskeletal complication of HIV infection.

Hip aspiration: a cost-effective and accurate method of evaluating the potentially infected hip prosthesis

PURPOSE

The accuracy of fluoroscopy-guided hip aspiration in the diagnosis of infection in hip prostheses was evaluated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Results from 147 preoperative aspiration cultures were compared with results of operative cultures. The relative costs of aspiration and nuclear medicine studies were also compared.

RESULTS

With the operative culture results as the standard, sensitivity of hip aspiration was 92.8% and specificity was 91.7%. The negative and positive predictive values were 99.2% and 54.2%, respectively. Aspiration arthrography costs approximately 20% as much as complementary technetium sulfur colloid-indium-111 granulocyte scans, the most accurate nuclear medicine study used to evaluate potentially infected hip prostheses.

CONCLUSION

Hip aspiration is an accurate and cost-effective method of evaluating the potentially infected hip prosthesis.

CT and MR appearance of subureteric Teflon and periuretral Teflon migration: a case report

We present the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) findings of a case in which an adult patient underwent subureteric injection of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE; Teflon) (STING) to correct vesicoureteral reflux. We report the appearance of periureteral PTFE migration mimicking cystic pathology.

MR appearance of intra-abdominal metastatic melanoma

We present a case illustrating the magnetic resonance (MR) features of a large retroperitoneal metastatic melanoma. MR characteristics of intra-abdominal metastatic melanoma have not been reported previously. We report MR features similar to those reported for melanoma metastatic to other sites.