Primary osseous tumors of the spine are rare lesions and much less frequently encountered than metastases, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma. The interpreting radiologist must be aware of the typical radiographic appearance of the most common nonmyeloproliferative tumors of the spine because these tumors must be considered when a solitary spinal lesion is encountered. The purpose of this article is to describe the radiologic appearance and radiologic staging of the most common benign (hemangioma, enostosis, osteoid osteoma, osteoblastoma, giant cell tumor, aneurysmal bone cyst, and osteochondroma) and malignant (chordoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing tumor, and osteosarcoma) osseous spine tumors.

Bone mineral density (BMD) increases during growth until a peak is reached at maturity. The risk of development of postmenopausal osteoporosis depends on the peak bone density and the rate of its subsequent loss. To identify whether low weight at birth could affect the peak bone density, we measured BMD at both the lumbar spine and femoral neck using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in a group of women who had low weight at birth and in a control group of normal birth weight. There was no significant correlation between the weight at birth and the adult BMD. It appears, therefore, that low weight at birth does not influence the peak bone density and that prematurity is not a risk factor for osteoporosis.

To describe clinical features and outcomes of 26 patients with idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis from a single center, we reviewed medical records of consecutive patients with idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis evaluated at our facility from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2013 for clinical features, laboratory and radiographic findings, management, and outcomes. Twenty-six patients met criteria for idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis and were included in the study. Median age at diagnosis was 58 years; male-female ratio was 3.3:1.0. Median duration of symptoms was 7 weeks. Abdominal, flank, and/or low back pain were the most common presenting symptoms. Four patients (15 %) had associated autoimmune or fibrosing disorders. Baseline erythrocyte sedimentation rate was elevated in 17 (77 %) of 22 patients tested and C-reactive protein was elevated in 10 (56 %) of 18 patients tested. Hydronephrosis was present in 17 (68 %) patients; 8 (47 %) of 17 had bilateral hydronephrosis. Retroperitoneal mass biopsy was performed in 18 (69 %) patients. Two patients had idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis classifiable as IgG4-related disease. Therapy consisted of medications alone in 7 cases, surgical interventions alone in 7 cases, and a combination in 11 cases. One patient achieved remission with no treatment. Most patients treated medically received initial corticosteroids. Methotrexate (1 case), azathioprine (1 case), mycophenolate mofetil (1 case), and tamoxifen (5 cases) were used. No relapses occurred after a median 5-year follow-up. Two (8 %) patients died; five (19 %) developed cancer after diagnosis. In this series, we emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and therapy for overall favorable prognosis of idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis.

Although volume-based indexes of global LV function improve significantly after SVR, regional LV function did not improve significantly; there was evidence of continued LV remodeling after SVR.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of the adverse events at one year post-cardiac computed tomography (cardiac CT) using data gathered from the Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) Cardiac CT registry to compare non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), revascularization, all-cause mortality, and composite major adverse cardiac events (MACE) one year following cardiac CT in patients with non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) and normal coronary arteries. From 2009 to 2017, the records of 2,649 patients who underwent cardiac CT were reviewed. CAD detected by cardiac CT was defined as normal (0% luminal stenosis) and non-obstructive (1-49% luminal stenosis). Clinical outcomes were nonfatal MI, revascularization, including percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), all-cause mortality, and MACE. Cohorts were compared using t-tests and Fisher exact tests, and a logistic regression was performed to assess risk of clinical outcomes at one year. Compared with patients with normal coronary arteries, patients with non-obstructive coronary disease on cardiac CT had higher event rates of MACE (3.7% vs. 1.2%; P =0.006), revascularization (1.1% vs. 0.2%; P=0.033), and all-cause mortality (1.7% vs. 0.4%; P=0.012). After adjusting for baseline difference in demographics, risk factors, and medication use, the odds ratio of revascularization was 3.77 (95% CI: 1.03,13.79) and MACEs was 2.06 (95% CI: 0.94,4.51). Symptomatic congenital heart diseases accounted for about 50% of the non-death MACEs. Cardiac CT-defined non-obstructive CAD was associated with higher rates of revascularization, all-cause mortality and MACE compared to those with normal coronary arteries.