We tried to evaluate the possibility that the radionuclide imaging of the knee with 99mTc-pyrophosphate be the diagnostic tool for the patients with the suspected tear of the meniscus of the knee. Among the 142 cases in which 99mTc-pyrophosphate scan was performed, both arthrogram and knee scintigraphy were performed in 60 cases, but only 25 cases were done arthroscopy & arthrotomy for identification to intraarticular legion. We observed 4 types of abnormally increased uptake in the scintigraphy from 16 cases of 19 cases that identified to the meniscus tear. These patterns were seen with 1) diffuse increased uptake, 2) focal increased uptake, 3) plate-like increased uptake in or near the joint space, 4) diffuse increased uptake with plate-like accentuation. Among the 25 cases, 18 cases were found to have consistent scintigraphy & operative findings, 3 cases were observed not tear of meniscus but other legions in the knee joint. And only 4 cases were seen differented to findings of arthrotomy & scintigraphy. We could conclude that the knee scintigraphy with 99mTc-pyrophosphate could be used as a helpful method of the initial evaluation of the internal derangement of the knee in the patients with the suspected tear of the meniscus of the knee.
Arthroscopy ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee Joint ; Knee ; Methods ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Tears ; Technetium Tc 99m Pyrophosphate

Gallium-67 scintigraphy is helpful in the assessment of active extrapulmonary sarcoidosis. Muscular involvement of sarcoidosis is often asymptomatic or nonspecific, and laboratory examinations do not provide convincing evidence of muscular involvement. We report a case of muscular sarcoidosis, which was detected by gallium-67 scintigraphy. In a patient who was suffering from fever and arthralgia of knee joint, gallium-67 scintigraphy showed mediastinal and hilar involvement of sarcoidosis with unexpected extensive muscular uptake. Magenetic resonance imaging revealed the detailed depiction of intramuscular infiltration of sarcoid granuloma. Gallium-67 scintigraphy is useful in detecting inflammatory muscular involvement of sarcoidosis as well as other multiorgan involvement.
Arthralgia ; Fever ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Radionuclide Imaging* ; Sarcoidosis*

Proximal tibial osteotomy is a procedure usually employed for osteoarthritis of the knee with a predominant single compartment involvement accompanied by pain and angular deformity. It has as its objective the shift of the gravitational line of weight from an involved to a relatively uninvolved side of the knee. We studied the preoperative clinical status and postoperative results in twenty-two patients (twenty-four knees) who had had a proximal osteotomy for osteoarthritic varus deformity. The mean length of follow-up was 2.6years(Range, 6months to 4.8years). In the preoperative evaluation of the lesion, we used bone scintigraphy to estimate the range and extent of the osteoarthritic change. The scintigraphic results were more sensitive to simple x-ray finding in a disease process. The range of motion of the knee were improved after osteotomy, from 7.7degree-128 degree to 2.6 degree-135degree(5.1degree in flexion contracture and 7 degree in further flexion). Correction of the tibiofemoral angle was performed to the level that we had decided correction angle to 7 degree and 3 degree of overcorrection. The correltion of good clinical results and tibiofemoral angle was dependent on whether the postoperative tibiofemoral angle is more than 5 degree valgus or not.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Contracture ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteotomy ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Range of Motion, Articular

Nineteen patients (twenty knees) with degenerative arthritis of knee treated by arthroscopic curettage were reviewed. Of the nineteen patients, there were eighteen females and one male ranging in age from 49 to 68 years (mean, 57 years). The mean follow up period was 18.2 months (range, 12 months to 21 months). Simple standing roentgenorgram and 99m-Tc bone scintigraphy were used to select the patients with medial compartment involvement only, less than 5 degree of varus deformity and sparing of patello-femoral joint. Knee scoring by Hospital for Special Surgery Formula showed improvement from the preoperative average 68 points to postoperative average 89.6 points (21.6 points increase) and 84.1 points (16.1 points increase) at 6 months and one year respectively. Arthroscopic curettage of knee, if done early in degenerative arthritis, not only can shorten hospital days and immobilization period but also can defer other major surgical treatments by promoting natural healing process and symptomatic relief.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Curettage ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Joints ; Knee ; Male ; Osteoarthritis ; Radionuclide Imaging

The common causes of rhabdomyolysis include trauma, hypoxia, drugs, toxins, infections and hyperthermia. Operative insults, including direct trauma and ischemia, have the potential to cause the development of rhabdomyolysis. Pneumatic tourniquets used during arthroscopic knee surgery to prevent blood loss have led to many complications such as nerve paralysis and vascular injuries. Rhabdomyolysis can also be caused by prolonged pneumatic tourniquet application without a midapplication release, and also from an increased application pressure, but the actual incidence of this is low. In order to prevent rhabdomyolysis, the clinicians must be aware of such risks and follow strict guidelines for the application time, the midapplication release and also the inflation pressure. Vigorous hydration and postoperative patient surveillance are helpful to prevent rhabdomyolysis. We have recently experienced a case of rhabdomyolysis after the arthroscopic knee surgery, and the rhabdomyolysis could have been associated with the use of a pneumatic tourniquet.
Adult ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament/injuries/surgery ; *Arthroscopy/statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Kidney Failure/etiology/radionuclide imaging/ultrasonography ; Knee Joint/*surgery ; Male ; Postoperative Complications/etiology/radionuclide imaging/ultrasonography ; Rhabdomyolysis/*etiology/radionuclide imaging/ultrasonography ; Tourniquets/*adverse effects

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of 99mTc-HMPAO-labelled leucocyte scintigraphy for diagnosing prosthetic infection after total knee replacement arthroplasty without the aid of following bone marrow scintigraphy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study subjects were 25 prostheses of 17 patients (one man and 16 women, mean age: 65 years) who had total knee replacement arthroplasty. After injection of 99mTc-HMPAO-labelled leucocyte, the whole body planar and knee SPECT images were obtained in all patients. The subjects were classified into three groups according to clinical suspicion of prosthetic infection: Group A (n=11) with high suspicion of infection; Group B (n=6) with equivocal suspicion of infection, and Group C (n=8) with asymptomatic contralateral prostheses. Final diagnosis of infection was based on surgical, histological and bacteriological data and clinical follow-up. RESULTS: Infection was confirmed in 13 prostheses (11 in Group A and 2 in Group B). All prostheses in Group A were true positive. There were two true positives, one false positive and three true negatives in Group B, and six true negatives and two false positives in Group C. Overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for diagnosis of the infected knee prosthesis were 100%, 75% and 88%, respectively. CONCLUSION: 99mTc-HMPAO-labelled leucocyte scintigraphy is a sensitive method for the diagnosis of infected knee prosthesis. However, false positive uptakes even in asymptomatic prosthesis suggest that bone marrow scintigraphy may be needed to achieve improved specificity.
Arthroplasty* ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee* ; Bone Marrow ; Diagnosis* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Knee ; Knee Prosthesis ; Prostheses and Implants ; Radionuclide Imaging* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema (RS3PE) is a rare form of seronegative polyarthritis which is characterized by sudden onset of a symmetrical and peripheral polysynovitis, prominent pitting edema of both hands in elderly patient. It has a benign course and remits completely after steroid treatment. We describe a 77-year-old Korean man of RS3PE syndrome He presented with sudden onset polyarthritis and pitting edema of the dorsum of both hands and both feet. Rheumatoid factor was negative and erythrocyte sedimentation rate was high. Bone scintigraphy showed increased uptake in both wrist, knee, and ankle joints. His synovitis and pitting edema completely disappeared after steroid treatment.
Aged ; Ankle Joint ; Arthritis ; Blood Sedimentation ; Edema* ; Foot ; Hand ; Humans ; Knee ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Rheumatoid Factor ; Synovitis* ; Wrist

We developed the 166Ho-chitosan, the new radiation synovectomy agent. Holmium is the more practical isotope based on its longer half-life. And chitosan, is ideal and suitable particles based on its soluble and biodegradable characteristics. We investigated the biocompatibility of the 166Ho-chitosan complex to evaluate the suitability as a radiation synovectomy agent. In vitro stability test, the 166Ho-chitosan complex suspension in saline was stored at room temperture and 37degrees C for 25 days and decay rate was of determined by ITLC(Instant Thin Layer Chromatography). In vivo stability test, the 166Ho-chitosan complex was injected into rabbit joints and followed by gamma camera imaging to quantify extra-articular leakage. Biodistribution study, the 166Ho-chitosan complex was injected into rabbit joints. After 48 hours heart, liver, urinary bladder, spleen, lung, brain, kidney, blood were extracted and radioactivities were measured. In vitro stability test, there was no significant change of radioactivity and no leakage problem indicating the prepared 166Ho-chitosan complex is sufficiently stable. In vivo stability tests revealed that more than 98% of the 166Ho-chitosan remained in joint over a 2 days period. The mean retention percentage of 166Ho-chitosan in knee were 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.8%, 99.7% at 2 h, 6 h, 1 day and 2 days, respectively. A biodistribution study of the rabbits revealed that leakage to heart, liver, urinary bladder, spleen, lung, brain, kidney, blood is 0.71, 1.5, 0.50, 1.5, 0.25, 0.26, 0.81, 0.065(% Injected Dose x 10-3/gram), respectively. The 166Ho-chitosan complex shows less leakge than any other radiation synovectomy agents. Our results indicate that 166Ho-chitosan have the biocompatibility and the suitability as a radiation synovectomy agent.
Brain ; Chitosan* ; Half-Life ; Heart ; Holmium ; Joints ; Kidney ; Knee ; Liver ; Lung ; Rabbits* ; Radioactivity ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Spleen ; Urinary Bladder

Colloidal gold 198Au were injected into 40 knee joints of rabbits for the study of the change of synovial membrane. We verified even distribution of Colloidal gold 198Au about knee joints by use of scintigraphy. After then, histopathological examinations were performed by periodic intervals. The following results are obtained form this study. l. Intra-articular injection of Colloidal gold 198Au into rabbit's knee joints resulted in a mild resctive inflammation at synovium. In was charscterized by an infiltration of eosinophils and by sclerotic changes in the subsynovium and by fibrosis of synovial vessels. 2. From this study, intra-articular injection of Colloidal gold 198Au may by benefit to treat the chronic synovial effusion in human.
Colloids ; Eosinophils ; Fibrosis ; Gold Colloid ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Injections, Intra-Articular ; Knee Joint ; Rabbits ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Synovial Membrane

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