Thoracic pedicle anatomy (interpedicular distance, transverse and sagittal pedicle widths, transverse and sagittal pedicle angles, and the distance from the axis of the pedicle to the axis of the transverse process) was assessed in 11 cadavers of elderly people. The cadaveric spines were extensively dissected to augment the accuracy of the measurements via caliper and goniometer. The results were compared with those of previous studies that assessed pedicle anatomy with computed tomography, direct measurement, and three-dimensional morphometry. Between the studies, significant differences were found in transverse pedicle width and transverse and sagittal pedicle angles. These morphometric differences may reflect either the diversity of the techniques used to measure the pedicle anatomy or sampling variation. This article presents a previously unreported morphometric finding, the rostral-caudal distance from the thoracic pedicle to the midpoint of the base of the transverse process. At T1, the transverse process is 5.45 +/- 1.2 mm rostral to the pedicle. This relationship gradually changes as the thoracic spine is descended, so that at T12, the transverse process is 6.6 +/- 2.4 mm caudal to the pedicle. Crossover consistently occurs at the T6-T7 region. Although the transverse process is a reliable external landmark for the location of the pedicle in the lumbar spine, this relationship in the thoracic spine is variable and only moderately predictable.

Infections arising from free-living amebae are rare. They generally cause recognizable disease only in chronically ill, debilitated patients who are immune suppressed. Only about 70 cases of granulomatous amebic encephalitis have been reported. We present an unusual case of granulomatous encephalitis in a 35-year-old man. Neurologic examination and laboratory tests were inconclusive. CT demonstrated bilateral low-density areas with mild mass effect in the cortex and subcortical white matter, which showed increased signal on T2-weighted MRI. Craniotomy and brain biopsy revealed granulomatous encephalitis with acanthamoeba organisms. Though non-specific, imaging can support the diagnosis of amebic encephalitis and direct biopsy.

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Recent advances in speech recognition technology have allowed development of computer systems for real-time radiologist-driven generation of reports. The transition to a speech recognition system is a technically complex process with many potential piffalls that can decrease efficiency and disrupt workflow. In our recent experience with installation of such a system in an academic radiology department, factors that have worked against optimal performance have included environmental Iogistics, hardware incompatibilities, radiology information system interface problems, lack of suitable training, and inadequate technical support. Communication of our experience is intended to allow radiologists to anticipate complications of these systems and make informed decisions regarding the feasibility of such a system in their practices. With this information, potential buyers should be able to carefully scrutinize specifications for prospective systems and, by avoiding many of the possible pitfalls, make an easier transition to a speech recognition environment. ENVIRONMENTAL LOGISTICSThere is a wide range in performance of a speech recognition system, which is indirectly proportional to the amount of noise in the local environment. We have had the greatest success in small reading rooms in which there is a single system in use anda lack of extraneous personnel and ambient

U Spinal aneurysms are rare, and those not associated with either an arteriovenous malformation or coarctation of the aorta are particularly rare. In this report, the authors present a case of spinal aneurysm involving the lateral sacral artery. The aneurysm presented as a cauda equina syndrome 6 years after the patient underwent a renal transplant contralateral to the side of the aneurysm parent vessel. To the authors' knowledge, only one similar case has been previously reported. They conclude that spinal aneurysms should be included in the differential diagnosis of an extramedullary spinal mass lesion.