Conflict of interest: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.”
“Background: Both microfracture (MFX) and matrix associated autologous Adavosertib order cartilage transplantation (MACT) are currently used to treat cartilage defects of the talus. T2 mapping of the ankle at 7 T has the potential to assess the collagen fibril network organization of the native hyaline cartilage and of the repair tissue (RT). This study provides first results regarding the properties of cartilage RI after MFX (mean follow-up: 113.8 months) and MACT (65.4 months).
Methods: A multi-echo spin-echo sequence was
used at 7 T to assess 12 maps in 10 volunteer cases, and in 10 cases after MFX and MACT each. Proton weighted morphological images and clinical data were used to ensure comparable baseline criteria.
Results: A significant zonal variation of T2 was found in the volunteers. T2 of the superficial and the deep layer was 39.3 +/- 5.9 ms and 21.1 +/- 3.1 ms (zonal T2 index calculated by superficial T2/deep T2: 1.87 +/- 0.2, P < 0.001). In MFX, T2 of the reference
cartilage was 37.4 +/- 5.0 ms and 25.3 +/- 3.5 ms (1.51 +/- 0.3, P < 0.001). In the RT, T2 was 43.4 +/- 10.5 ms and 36.3 +/- 7.7 ms (1.20 +/- 0.2, P = 0.009). In MACT, T2 of the reference cartilage was 39.0 +/- 9.1 ms and 27.1 +/- 6.6 ms (1.45 +/- 0.2, P < 0.001). In the RT, T2 was 44.6 +/- 10.4 ms and 38.6 +/- 7.3 ms (1.15 +/- 0.1, P = 0.003). The zonal RT
12 variation differed significantly from the reference cartilage in both techniques (MFX: P = 0.004, MACT: P = 0.001).
Conclusion: T2 mapping at 7 T allows Danusertib for the quantitative assessment of the collagen network organization of the talus. MACT and MFX yielded RI with comparable 12 properties. (C) 2012 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Introduction. There is a renewed interest in analgesic testing, influenced by several studies reporting robust surgical results when the diagnosis of discogenic pain is confirmed by relief of pain post-provocative discography after injecting local anesthetic into painful discs.
Objective. We anticipated and sought to confirm that injecting local anesthetic in intervertebral discs would provide convincing pain this website relief and that the degree of pain relief would help confirm or refute the findings of provocative discography.
Methods. There were 23 patients in the nonanalgesic group, and 47 patients in the analgesic group. The analgesic patient discs were injected with an equal volume of local anesthetic and nonionic contrast media. Lumbar discography was performed using an automated pressure-controlled provocative discographic (APCPD) technique. Subjects reported global subjective relief at 15 and 45 minutes after APCPD. Pre- and post-procedure pain was rated using a numerical rating scale (NRS) using standardized pain provoking positions.