OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential and correlation between near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging using cyanine 5.5 conjugated with hydrophobically modified glycol chitosan nanoparticles (HGC-Cy5.5) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) imaging of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used 10 CIA and 3 normal mice. Nine days after the injecting collagen twice, microPET imaging was performed 40 minutes after the intravenous injection of 9.3 MBq 18F-FDG in 200 microL PBS. One day later, NIRF imaging was performed two hours after the intravenous injection of HGC-cy5.5 (5 mg/kg). We assessed the correlation between these two modalities in the knees and ankles of CIA mice. RESULTS: The mean standardized uptake values of 18F-FDG for knees and ankles were 1.68 +/- 0.76 and 0.79 +/- 0.71, respectively, for CIA mice; and 0.57 +/- 0.17 and 0.54 +/- 0.20 respectively for control mice. From the NIRF images, the total photon counts per 30 mm2 for knees and ankles were 2.32 +/- 1.54 x 10(5) and 2.75 +/- 1.51 x 10(5), respectively, for CIA mice, and 1.22 +/- 0.27 x 10(5) and 0.88 +/- 0.24 x 10(5), respectively, for control mice. These two modalities showed a moderate correlation for knees (r = 0.604, p = 0.005) and ankles (r = 0.464, p = 0.039). Moreover, both HGC-Cy5.5 (p = 0.002) and 18F-FDG-PET (p = 0.005) imaging also showed statistically significant differences between CIA and normal mice. CONCLUSION: NIRF imaging using HGC-Cy5.5 was moderately correlated with 18F-FDG-PET imaging in the CIA model. As such, HGC-Cy5.5 imaging can be used for the early detection of rheumatoid arthritis.
Animals ; Ankle Joint/radionuclide imaging ; Arthritis, Experimental/*radionuclide imaging ; Carbocyanines/administration & dosage/*diagnostic use ; Chitosan/administration & dosage/*diagnostic use ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18/administration & dosage/diagnostic use ; Injections, Intravenous ; Knee Joint/radionuclide imaging ; Male ; Mice ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Nanoparticles ; Positron-Emission Tomography/*methods ; Radiopharmaceuticals/administration & dosage/diagnostic use ; Statistics, Nonparametric

OBJECTIVE: To validate the use of contrast-enhanced (CE) fat-suppressed three-dimensional (3D) fast gradient-recalled acquisition in the steady state with radiofrequency spoiling (FSPGR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the diagnosis of anterolateral soft tissue impingement of the ankle, as compared to the use of routine ankle MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Contrast-enhanced fat-suppressed 3D-FSPGR MRI and routine MRI scans were retrospectively reviewed for 45 patients with arthroscopically proven anterolateral impingement. In addition, scans were reviewed in 45 control subjects with diagnoses other than impingement. Two radiologists independently reviewed the two sets of images in random order. Using areas (Az) under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), we compared the depiction of anterolateral soft tissue impingement in the two sets of images. RESULTS: The overall accuracy for lesion characterization was significantly higher (p < 0.05) using the CE fat-suppressed 3D-FSPGR MR images (Az = 0.892 and 0.881 for reader 1 and 2, respectively) than using the routine MR images (Az = 0.763 and 0.745). The use of CE fat-suppressed 3D-FSPGR MRI enhanced impingement depiction in most cases. However, in cases with a thickened non-enhancing scar or joint effusion, the routine images better depicted a soft tissue mass that intruded into anterolateral gutter than the CE images. CONCLUSION: The use of CE fat-suppressed 3D-FSPGR MRI of the ankle allows a more accurate assessment of anterolateral soft tissue impingement of the ankle, as compared to the use of routine MRI.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Ankle Joint/*pathology ; Contrast Media ; Female ; Gadolinium DTPA/diagnostic use ; Humans ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Joint Diseases/*diagnosis ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Statistics, Nonparametric

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of intramuscular Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) injection on gait and dynamic foot pressure distribution in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) with dynamic equinovarus foot. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five legs of 25 children with CP were investigated in this study. BoNT-A was injected into the gastrocnemius (GCM) and tibialis posterior (TP) muscles under the guidance of ultrasonography. The effects of the toxin were clinically assessed using the modified Ashworth scale (MAS) and modified Tardieu scale (MTS), and a computerized gait analysis and dynamic foot pressure measurements using the F-scan system were also performed before injection and at 1 and 4 months after injection. RESULTS: Spasticity of the ankle plantar-flexor in both the MAS and MTS was significantly reduced at both 1 and 4 months after injection. On dynamic foot pressure measurements, the center of pressure index and coronal index, which represent the asymmetrical weight-bearing of the medial and lateral columns of the foot, significantly improved at both 1 and 4 months after injection. The dynamic foot pressure index, total contact area, contact length and hind foot contact width all increased at 1 month after injection, suggesting better heel contact. Ankle kinematic data were significantly improved at both 1 and 4 months after injection, and ankle power generation was significantly increased at 4 months after injection compared to baseline data. CONCLUSION: Using a computerized gait analysis and foot scan, this study revealed significant benefits of BoNT-A injection into the GCM and TP muscles for dynamic equinovarus foot in children with spastic CP.
Adolescent ; Ankle Joint ; Botulinum Toxins, Type A/administration & dosage/*pharmacology ; Cerebral Palsy/*complications/drug therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Clubfoot/*drug therapy/*etiology/physiopathology ; Female ; Foot ; Gait/*drug effects/physiology ; Humans ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Male ; Muscle Spasticity/drug therapy ; Muscle, Skeletal/diagnostic imaging ; Neuromuscular Agents/administration & dosage/*pharmacology ; Pressure ; Prospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Weight-Bearing