PURPOSE: There is increasing awareness of the clinical importance of early detection and treatment of posterior cruciate ligament(PCL) injury. We evaluate the usefulness of Magnetic resonance(MR) imaging in the diagnosis of PCL injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analysed the MR images of 140 cases with clinically suspected knee injury. Arthroscopic or surgical correlation was available in 63 cases. We observed the finding and extent of PCL injury and other associated abnormalities. The frequency of anterior and posterior meniscofemoral ligament was evaluated. RESULTS: Eleven PCL injuries were observed, six midsubstance tears, two tibial attachment tears, two fernoral attachment tear, one laxity. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MR imaging diagnosis are 100%, 98.1%, 98.4%. MR findings of PCL injury are discontinuity and focal mass formation, irregular increased signal intensity, detachment or redundancy of the ligament with avulsed bony fragment. In all cases of injured PCL, other associated abnormalities of adjacent structures were observed. Accessory anterior and posterior meniscofemoral ligaments were observed in 67.4%(87/129). CONCLUSION: MR imaging is useful in evaluation of presence or absence of PCL injury, accurate extent of PCL injury and other important associated abnormalities of adjacent structures.
Diagnosis ; Knee Injuries ; Ligaments ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Posterior Cruciate Ligament* ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVE: To describe the angiographic embolization as a safe and an effective alternative treatment in the management of obstetrical hemorrhage and in preserving fertility. METHODS: Between March 1999 and May 2003, 43 patients at Asan Medical Center underwent angiographic embolization for the management of obstetrical hemorrhage. All cases received arterial embolization because of obstetrical hemorrhage unresponsive to conservative management or prophylaxis for massive obstetrical hemorrhage. Medical records were reviewed and detailed to collect adequate clinical data such as clinical status, underlying conditions, amount of transfusion, embolization sites, materials of embolization, duration of the procedure, complications associated with embolization, hospital stay, and the success rate. Patients were contacted by telephone to obtain long-term outcome for menstruation, desire for conception, and subsequent pregnancies. RESULTS: We have experienced the clinical successful embolization in 37 (86.0%) of 43 patients of obstetrical hemorrhage resulting from various causes. The main cause of hemorrhage was atony of uterus (n=17), followed by abnormal placentation (n=6), genital tract laceration (n=5). The average amount of blood transfusion was 7.0 units (range; 0-36 units). The average length of the time for the procedure was 68.2 minutes (range; 30-150 minutes). The average duration of hospitalization was 6.4 days (range; 3-20 days). The main complication after embolization was numbness and pain on right lower extremities in 5 cases and vessel dissection occurred in 1 case. But there was no major complication related to the procedure. We were able to follow up 28 patients. In all cases menses resumed spontaneously soon after the procedure. Seven cases of long-term follow-up became pregnant, and 3 cases of them completed gestations giving birth to healthy babies. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that angiographic embolization is a relatively noninvasive and highly effective method for the management of obstetrical hemorrhage and a useful technique for preserving fertility.
Blood Transfusion ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Female ; Fertility ; Fertilization ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Lacerations ; Length of Stay ; Lower Extremity ; Medical Records ; Menstruation ; Parturition ; Placentation ; Pregnancy ; Telephone ; Uterus