The CS-SPACE prototype allows for faster isotropic acquisitions of knee MRIs over currently used protocols. High fluid-to-cartilage CNR and higher spatial resolution over routine 2D sequences may present a valuable role for CS-SPACE in the evaluation of cartilage and menisci.

Maximum aortic diameter in type B dissections increases significantly over time, primarily because of the increasing size of the false lumen. Patients with high aortic diameter growth rates are more likely to require endovascular or open surgical aortic repair during the chronic phase.

Two patients with clinically relevant anomalies of the long head of the biceps brachii tendon (LHBT) are presented with MR arthrography and surgical correlation. Such variations in the LHBT can mimic tears of the tendon itself or the adjacent superior labrum both on MR arthrography and at surgery. MR arthrographic features are recognizable and allow for correct prospective diagnosis, possibly averting unnecessary surgery. Although further study is needed, patients with these anomalies may be at increased risk for developing shoulder instability.

Previous spinal fusion outcomes assessment studies have been complicated by inconsistencies in evaluative criteria and consequent variations in results. As a result, a general consensus is lacking on how to achieve comprehensive outcomes assessment for spinal fusion surgeries. The purpose of this article is to report the most validated and frequently used assessment measures to facilitate comparable outcomes studies in the future. Twenty-seven spinal fusion outcomes studies published between 1990 and 2000 were retrospectively reviewed. Study characteristics such as design, evaluative measures, and assessment tools were recorded and analyzed. Based on the reviewed literature, an outcomes assessment model is proposed including the Short Form-36 Health Survey, the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire, the North American Spine Society Patient Satisfaction Index, the Prolo Economic Scale, a 0-10 analog pain scale, medication use, radiographically assessed fusion status, and a generalized complication rate.

Periprosthetic joint infection remains a clinical challenge with no benchmark for diagnosis. The diagnosis is based on many different clinical variables that may be difficult to interpret, especially in the setting of chronic systemic disease. Synovial fluid aspiration, diagnostic imaging, traditional culture, peripheral serum inflammatory markers, and intraoperative frozen sections each have their limitations but continue to be the mainstay for diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection. As molecular- and biomarker-based technologies improve, the way we interpret and diagnose periprosthetic joint infection will ultimately change and may even improve diagnostic accuracy and turnaround time. Future research on this topic should be focused on improving diagnostic criteria for low-virulence organisms, improving interpretation of intraoperative frozen sections, and establishing improved synovial fluid and peripheral serum biomarker profiles for periprosthetic joint infection.