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Diagnostic performance of ultrasound for myositis and fasciitis, including necrotizing fasciitis, in pediatric patients
Abstract
To demonstrate the diagnostic performance of ultrasound for abnormal magnetic resonance imaging findings in pediatric patients with suspected myositis and fasciitis. We compared sonographic findings between patients with and without necrotizing fasciitis.
In 21 pediatric patients, the presence or absence of abnormal T2-high signal intensity in subcutaneous fat, peripheral deep fascia, intermuscular fascia, and muscle was recorded. The extent of the disease based on ultrasound findings was recorded according to the previous locations. The vascular lumen within the affected muscle was also evaluated. Patients were classified into two groups: those with necrotizing fasciitis and those without. The presence/absence of sonographic findings and width of fluid accumulation in the peripheral deep fascia was compared between the two groups.
Three patients were classified into the necrotizing fasciitis group. The ultrasound diagnostic performance for abnormal findings in subcutaneous fat/peripheral deep fascia/ intermuscular fascia/muscle was 90.5%/76.2%/47.6%/90.5%, respectively. The presence/absence of abnormal findings in peripheral deep fascial edema, its width and vascular lumen collapse were significantly different between the two groups. The other findings were not significantly different between the groups.
Ultrasound demonstrated reliability in detecting abnormal findings and was useful for diagnosing necrotizing fasciitis, facilitating urgent surgical intervention.
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Introduction
Neonatal compartment syndrome is a rare phenomenon with a limited number of cases reported in the literature with varying etiologies. Current literature categorizes etiologies as either intrinsic or extrinsic. To the best of our knowledge, difficult delivery and delivery through vacuum are the only two iatrogenic etiologies that have been reported in the literature. Thus, this may be the first reported case of neonatal compartment syndrome secondary to a failed peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) insertion.
Case Report
We present a case of a pre-mature neonate with diffuse discoloration, paralysis, and loss of palpable pulses of the right upper extremity after a failed PICC insertion. The clinical features led to a diagnosis of compartment syndrome. Interventions were not carried out due to the pre-maturity and instability of the patient. The patient passed away at 38 days of age due to refractory hypotension and patent ductus arteriosus.
Conclusion
We present a case of neonatal compartment syndrome caused by a previously unreported etiology, highlighting the current dearth of knowledge. Clinicians should be aware of the unique clinical presentation of neonatal compartment syndrome and maintain high suspicion even without an obvious etiology.
A 43 year old man with a history of IV drug use, and presenting with three days of painful and swollen left calf, was referred to exclude deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Ultrasound showed no evidence of DVT. An area of localised warm, erythematous, which was disproportionately tender, prompted a point of care ultrasound (POCUS) assessment. POCUS confirmed a hypoechoic area in the underlying tissue, likely representing a collection because of no recent trauma. It led to prompt antibiotic therapy for the treatment of his pyomyositis. The patient surgical team reviewed the patient and recommended a conservative approach with a satisfactory clinical outcome that led to a safe discharge. Overall, this case demonstrates the versatility of POCUS as an efficient diagnostic tool in the acute setting, and it also helped to differentiate cellulitis from pyomyositis.
Purpose of review:
The purpose of this review is to critically discuss the use of ultrasound in the evaluation of muscle disorders with a particular focus on the emerging use in inflammatory myopathies.
Recent findings:
In myopathies, pathologic muscle shows an increase in echogenicity. Muscle echogenicity can be assessed visually, semi-quantitatively, or quantitatively using grayscale analysis. The involvement of specific muscle groups and the pattern of increase in echogenicity can further point to specific diseases. In pediatric neuromuscular disorders, the value of muscle ultrasound for screening and diagnosis is well-established. It has also been found to be a responsive measure of disease change in muscular dystrophies. In chronic forms of myositis like inclusion body myositis, ultrasound is very suitable for detecting markedly increased echogenicity and atrophy in affected muscles. Acute cases of muscle edema show only a mild increase in echogenicity, which can also reverse with successful treatment. Muscle ultrasound is an important imaging modality that is highly adaptable to study various muscle conditions. Although its diagnostic value for neuromuscular disorders is high, the evidence in myositis has only begun to accrue in earnest. Further systematic studies are needed, especially in its role for detecting muscle edema.
Necrotizing fasciitis is a severe soft-tissue infection with a high mortality rate. There is little literature on the relationship between the ultrasonographic finding of fluid accumulation along the deep fascia and the diagnosis and prognosis of necrotizing fasciitis. This retrospective study showed that when fluid accumulation was present along the deep fascia, patients with clinically suspected necrotizing fasciitis had a higher probability of having necrotizing fasciitis. The ultrasonographic finding of fluid accumulation with a cutoff point of more than 2 mm of depth had the best accuracy (72.7%)for diagnosing necrotizing fasciitis. In regard to the prognosis of necrotizing fasciitis, when fluid accumulation was present along the deep fascia, patients with necrotizing fasciitis had a longer length of hospital stay and were at risk of amputation or mortality. Ultrasonography is a point-of-care imaging tool that facilitates the diagnosis and prognosis of necrotizing fasciitis.
Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a rare chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology and primarily involves muscle and skin. It is the most common idiopathic inflammatory myopathy of childhood. This study aimed to evaluate demographic and clinical features, laboratory data, treatment modalities, and outcome of patients with JDM at a referral pediatric rheumatology center in Turkey. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients diagnosed with JDM between the years 2003–2016 at the Pediatric Rheumatology Department Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty. A total of 50 patients (35 females), median age at the onset 6.1 ± 4.1 years, were identified. Mean follow-up period was 74.5 ± 49.7 months. Presenting clinical symptoms included heliotrope rash (100%), Gottron papule (96%), muscle weakness (90%), erythroderma (88%), and calcinosis (38%). All patients had elevated muscle enzymes at the disease onset. Sixty-eight percent of the patients had anti-nuclear antibody positivity. Electromyography on 27 patients and muscle biopsy on 14 patients were performed, and all of them showed signs of juvenile dermatomyositis. Early aggressive treatment with corticosteroids mostly in combination with methotrexate was used. Cyclosporine was added to 48% of the patients’ treatment regimen in case of severe or refractory disease. All patients except two cases, who were referred to our clinic after long disease duration with widespread calcinosis, achieved remission. Early diagnosis and early initiation of intensive therapy are important in reducing JDM complications. International collaboration is needed in order to better understanding and management of the disease.
This study was performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of MR imaging in differentiating necrotizing fasciitis from cellulitis.
Spin-echo T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted spin-echo sequences were performed in 15 patients with clinically suspected necrotizing fasciitis. In two other patients, only unenhanced imaging was performed. The MR imaging results were correlated with the surgical findings in 11 cases, with autopsy in one case, and with the clinical outcome in five cases.
Cellulitis was diagnosed when subcutaneous thickening with fluid collections was revealed on T2-weighted images and when subcutaneous tissue or superficial fascia or both showed contrast enhancement. For the diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis, imaging revealed additional involvement of deep fasciae with fluid collections, thickening, and enhancement after contrast administration. According to these criteria, we found 11 cases of necrotizing fasciitis and six of cellulitis. MR imaging identified all 11 cases of necrotizing fasciitis correctly when compared with the surgical findings. One false-positive case of cellulitis was overstaged and was thought to be necrotizing fasciitis. Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted sequences delineated abscesses and areas of necrosis more clearly than T2-weighted sequences did, but showed no additional lesions.
When no deep fascial involvement is revealed with MR imaging, necrotizing fasciitis can be excluded. However, because its sensitivity exceeds its specificity, MR imaging tends to overestimate the extent of deep fascial involvement. Therefore, the therapeutic regimen should be based on a combination of clinical findings and MR imaging.
Objectives
To demonstrate the usefulness of ultrasonography for differentiating soft tissue infections with or without osteomyelitis in pediatric patients who underwent ultrasonography and subsequent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Methods
Twenty‐three patients were classified into 2 groups: 12 patients with and 11 patients without osteomyelitis based on MRI. Osteomyelitis using ultrasound is characterized by the presence of bone cortex irregularity and/or subperiosteal abscess formation. The diagnostic performance of ultrasonography for detecting osteomyelitis and subperiosteal abscess formation was compared with that of MRI. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results
Of 12 osteomyelitis cases, 11 had abnormal bone marrow enhancement (one residual case did not undergo contrast enhancement study) and 5 had subperiosteal abscesses. The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography for osteomyelitis was 82.6% (number of correct diagnosis of osteomyelitis/total number = 19/23; 95% CI, 61.2–95.0) and for detecting periosteal abscess was 95.7% (number of correct diagnosis of periosteal abscess/total number = 22/23; 95% CI, 78.1–99.9), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography for detecting osteomyelitis were 66.7% (95% CI, 34.9–90.1) and 100% (95% CI, 71.5–100), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography for detecting periosteal abscess were 80% (95% CI, 28.4–99.5), and 100% (95% CI, 81.5–100), respectively. One‐third of osteomyelitis cases could not be detected using ultrasonography.
Conclusions
Ultrasonography may be useful for diagnosing osteomyelitis in pediatric patients; however, the technique appears limited by low sensitivity. However, it is more accurate for diagnosis of periosteal abscess in these patients.
Background—Catheter removal is essential for treating catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI); however, clinicians are sometimes hesitant to remove catheters in pediatric patients due to the difficulty of securing vascular access. Confirming the diagnosis of CRBSI is important to justify catheter removal. The
purpose of this study was to describe the sonographic findings of CRBSI.
Materials and Methods—We included patients with a central venous catheter (CVC) or peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) who had a positive blood culture and underwent ultrasound. The patients were classified as with or without CRBSI. Sonographic findings, such as the presence/absence of thrombus, venous wall thickening, hyperechogenicity, and fluid collection around the vein were compared using Fisher’s exact test.
Results—Of the 58 patients, 38 (66%) were diagnosed with CRBSI. The presence of thrombus (19/38 vs 3/20, P = .011); and hyperechogenicity around the vein (14/38 vs 2/20, P = .035) differed significantly, but There was no significant difference in the presence of venous wall thickening (10/38 vs 1/20, P = .077), and fluid collection around the vein (5/38 vs 0/20, P = .153), did not differ significantly in patients with and without CRBSI, respectively. One-third of patients with CRBSI, including 11 (42.3%) patients with CVC, and 2 (16.7%) patients with PICC, did not have abnormal sonographic findings.
Conclusion—Ultrasound findings are useful for diagnosing CRBSI. However, the sensitivity of sonographic findings is low and abnormal sonographic findings are sometimes absent in children with CRBSI; therefore, physicians should not rule out CRBSI based on normal s
Purpose of review:
Imaging techniques such as MRI, ultrasound and PET/computed tomography (CT) have roles in the detection, diagnosis and management of myositis or idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM). Imaging research has also provided valuable knowledge in the understanding of the pathology of IIM. This review explores the latest advancements of these imaging modalities in IIM.
Recent findings:
Recent advancements in imaging of IIM have seen a shift away from manual and qualitative analysis of the images. Quantitative MRI provides more objective, and potentially more sensitive characterization of fat infiltration and inflammation in muscles. In addition to B-mode ultrasound changes, shearwave elastography offers a new dimension to investigating IIM. PET/CT has the added advantage of including IIM-associated findings such as malignancies.
Summary:
It is evident that MRI, ultrasound and PET/CT have important roles in myositis. Continued technological advancement and a quest for more sophisticated applications help drive innovation; this has especially been so of machine learning/deep learning using artificial intelligence and the developing promise of texture analysis.
Background/Objectives
: The aim of our study is twofold: To evaluate the presentation, diagnosis, clinical course, and management of juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) in children under three years of age, and to compare with older-onset patients.
Methods
: Nine patients with early-onset, and 63 patients with older-onset JDM followed between December 2010 and April 2022 are included. We also reviewed the literature on early-onset JDM from the inceptions of the PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus databases up to April 1st, 2022.
Results
: Early-onset JDM patients were characterized by longer median diagnostic delay (p=0.005), calcinosis (p=0.006), anti-NXP2 antibody (p=0.049). Diagnostic pathway included muscle biopsy (77.7% versus 50.8%). Muscle biopsy findings were more severe in the early-onset group (p<0.001). Although there was no difference in the partial and complete remission rates, the relapse rate was significantly higher in the early-onset group (p=0.001), reflected to requirement of intravenous immunoglobulin (p=0.001), cyclophosphamide (p=0.011), and biological agents (p=0.016). Literature search revealed 32 articles reporting 75 patients. The median diagnostic delay was 5 (1-30) months. Calcinosis was present in 29.5%. Twenty-three of the 44 patients (52.3%) had a muscle biopsy. Forty-one patients (64.1%) received second and third-line treatments. Complete remission was achieved in almost half of these patients (48.9%), but relapse was observed in 75%. The mortality rate was 10.2%.
Conclusion
: Diagnosis can be challenging and delayed in early-onset JDM patients. Compared to older-onset JDM patients, this group had higher relapse rate, more severe muscle biopsy findings, and received intensive immunosuppressive treatment.
Background:
Infectious diseases are common in pediatric patients. In these patients, ultrasound is a useful imaging modality that involves no irradiation or sedation and can be performed repeatedly at the patient's bedside. The purpose of this review was to show pediatric cases with infectious disease that used ultrasound to decide the methods of treatment.
Data sources:
Literature review was performed using Pubmed as the medical database source. No year-of-publication restriction was placed. The mesh terms used were: "ultrasound", "sonography", "infectious disease", "treatment", "antibiotics", "surgical intervention", "pediatric", "children", "deep neck abscess", "pyothorax", "empyema", "pneumonia", "urinary tract infection", "intra-abdominal abscess", "soft tissue infection", "septic arthritis", "osteomyelitis", and "surgical site infection".
Results:
We presented pediatric case series with infectious diseases, including deep neck abscess, pyothorax and empyema, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, intra-abdominal abscess, soft tissue infection, septic arthritis and osteomyelitis, and surgical-site infection. Ultrasound was useful for evaluating the extent and location of inflammation and abscess and for decision-making concerning surgical intervention.
Conclusion:
Knowledge of these sonographic findings is important for sonographers during examinations and for physicians when determining the treatment plan and period of antibiotic therapy for infected lesions.
Objectives:
1) To explore the ultrasound (US) findings of muscle mass, muscle quality and muscle stiffness in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and healthy subjects; 2) To investigate the relationship between the US muscle findings and physical performance in SLE patients and healthy subjects.
Methods:
Quadriceps muscle thickness for muscle mass, muscle echogenicity (using a visual semiquantitative scale and grayscale analysis with histograms) for muscle quality, and shear-wave elastography (SWE) for muscle stiffness, were assessed in 30 SLE patients (without previous/current myositis or neuromuscular disorders) and 15 age, sex, and BMI-matched healthy subjects. Hand grip strength test and short physical performance battery (SPPB) were carried out in the same populations.
Results:
No difference in the quadriceps muscle thickness was observed between SLE patients and healthy subjects (35.2 mm ±SD 6.8 vs 34.8 mm ±SD 6.0 respectively, p = 0.79). Conversely, muscle echogenicity was significantly increased in SLE patients (visual semiquantitative scale: 1.7 ±SD 1.0 vs 0.3 ±SD 0.5, respectively, p < 0.01; grayscale analysis with histograms: 87.4 mean pixels ±SD 18.8 vs 70.1 mean pixels ±SD 14.0 respectively, p < 0.01). Similarly, SWE was significantly lower in SLE patients compared with healthy subjects [1.5 m/s (IQR 0.3) vs 1.6 m/s (IQR 0.2) respectively, p = 0.01).Muscle echogenicity was inversely correlated with grip strength (visual semiquantitative scale Rho:-0.47, p = 0.01; grayscale analysis with histograms Rho:-0.41, p < 0.01) and SPPB (visual semiquantitative scale Rho:-0.50, p < 0.01; grayscale analysis with histograms Rho:-0,46, p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
US assessment of muscle echogenicity and stiffness is useful for the early detection of muscle involvement in SLE patients.
Infants and children often present with a wide range of musculoskeletal (MSK) infections in daily clinical practice. This can vary from relatively benign superficial infections such as cellulitis to destructive osseous and articular infections and life-threatening deep soft tissue processes such as necrotizing fasciitis. Imaging evaluation plays an essential role for initial detection and follow-up evaluation of pediatric MSK infections. Therefore, a clear and up-to-date knowledge of imaging manifestations in MSK infections in infants and children is imperative for timely and accurate diagnosis that, in turn, can result in optimal patient management. This article reviews an up-to-date practical imaging techniques, the differences between pediatric and adult MSK infections, the spectrum of pediatric MSK infections, and mimics of pediatric MSK infections encountered in daily clinical practice by radiologists and clinicians.
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are a rare heterogeneous group of chronic, autoimmune conditions characterized by the slow, progressive weakness of the skeletal muscles and inflammatory infiltrates in the muscle tissue. The predominant role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in myositis imaging is to assess disease activity and to identify the target site for biopsy. Its role in phenotyping the disease is less explored. The aim of the present review was to examine the role of MRI in differentiating between the common inflammatory myopathies, i.e. dermatomyositis, polymyositis, and sporadic inclusion body myositis, and to describe the specific spectrum of MRI findings in various inflammatory myopathies.
Objectives:
Early diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention are important to prevent intestinal necrosis in patients with volvulus. The purpose of this study was to determine which ultrasound (US) findings may predict bowel ischemic changes in pediatric patients with intestinal volvulus.
Methods:
Thirty-one pediatric patients with surgically proven intestinal volvulus were retrospectively reviewed. We compared the demographics and US findings (eg, superior mesenteric artery collapse, ascites, echogenic ascites, and degree of intestinal twist) between patients with and without bowel ischemic changes during surgery. Data are presented as median and range. The Fisher exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon signed rank sum test were used for statistical analyses.
Results:
Eleven patients had bowel ischemic changes. Significant differences existed between patients with and without ischemic changes for age (2 days [range, 0-137 days] versus 6.5 days [range, 2-1618 days]; P = .02), superior mesenteric artery collapse (present/absent, 10/1 versus 9/11 patients; P = .02), the presence of ascites (present/absent, 8/3 versus 6/14 patients; P = .03), and intestinal twist degree on US imaging (540° [range, 180°-720°] versus 360° [range, 180°-720°]; P = .02). The groups did not significantly differ for sex, the time from the US examination to the operation, or echogenic ascites. The intestinal twist degree insignificantly differed between US and surgical findings (360° [range, 180°-720°] versus 360° [range, 0°-1080°]; P = .36).
Conclusions:
The presence of superior mesenteric artery collapse, ascites, and a large intestinal twist on US imaging were significant predictors of intestinal ischemic changes. Pediatric surgeons should perform prompt surgical interventions in cases of volvulus with these US findings.
Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare, rapidly spreading, deep-seated infection causing thrombosis of the blood vessels located in the fascia. Necrotizing fasciitis is a surgical emergency. The diagnosis typically relies on clinical findings of severe sepsis and intense pain, although subacute forms may be difficult to recognize. Imaging studies can help to differentiate necrotizing fasciitis from infections located more superficially (dermohypodermitis). The presence of gas within the necrotized fasciae is characteristic but may be lacking. The main finding is thickening of the deep fasciae due to fluid accumulation and reactive hyperemia, which can be visualized using computed tomography and, above all, magnetic resonance imaging (high signal on contrast-enhanced T1 images and T2 images, best seen with fat saturation). These findings lack specificity, as they can be seen in non-necrotizing fasciitis and even in non-inflammatory conditions. Signs that support a diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis include extensive involvement of the deep intermuscular fascias (high sensitivity but low specificity), thickening to more than 3mm, and partial or complete absence on post-gadolinium images of signal enhancement of the thickened fasciae (fairly high sensitivity and specificity). Ultrasonography is not recommended in adults, as the infiltration of the hypodermis blocks ultrasound transmission. Thus, imaging studies in patients with necrotizing fasciitis may be challenging to interpret. Although imaging may help to confirm deep tissue involvement and to evaluate lesion spread, it should never delay emergency surgical treatment in patients with established necrotizing fasciitis.
Soft tissue infections frequently prompt visits to the pediatric emergency department. The incidence of these infections has increased markedly in recent years. The emergence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is associated with an increasing morbidity, mortality, and frequency of abscess formation. Bedside ultrasound may have a significant impact in the management of patients that present to the pediatric emergency department with soft tissue infections, including cellulitis, cutaneous abscess, peritonsillar abscess, and necrotizing fasciitis. Ultrasound is an efficient, noninvasive diagnostic tool which can augment the physician's clinical examination. Ultrasound has been shown to be superior to clinical judgment alone in determining the presence or the absence of occult abscess formation, ensuring appropriate management and limiting unnecessary invasive procedures.
A comparative study has been done of the static B-scan ultrasound appearance of the quadriceps muscle of the thigh in 60 new patients attending our muscle clinic and in 60 control children. In the control subjects there was good visualization of bone and fascia, which stood out clearly against the background of echo-free muscle tissue. Striking change was found in children with neuromuscular disease. Muscular dystrophies were associated with an increase in the intensity of echo reflected from the muscle substance, with corresponding loss of bone echo. Spinal muscular atrophies and neuropathies also showed an increase in muscle echo along with atrophy of the muscle and increase in depth of subcutaneous tissue. Various congenital myopathies also showed changes. Infants with hypotonia from nonneuromuscular causes had normal scans. Severity of change on the scan did not relate to functional disability, and some children had good function yet strikingly abnormal scans. Three degree of change on the scan correlated with the degree of disruption of muscle architecture on biopsy. Ultrasound imaging has proved to be a useful, noninvasive screening tool in the investigation of children with neuromuscular disease.
To evaluate the value of myosonography in inflammatory myopathies ultrasound of skeletal muscles was performed in 70 patients, aged 21-82 years, suffering from histologically proven polymyositis (n = 30), dermatomyositis (n = 18), granulomatous myositis (n = 9), inclusion body myositis (n = 13), and in 102 control persons. The sensitivity of muscle ultrasound in detecting histopathologically proven disease (82.9%) was not significantly different from electromyography (92.4%) or serum creatine kinase activity (68.7%). The positive predictive value of ultrasound was 95.1%, the negative predictive value 89.2%, and the accuracy 91.3%. The different types of inflammatory myopathies presented with typical, but not specific ultrasound features. Polymyositis showed atrophy and increased echointensity predominantly of lower extremity muscles, whereas in dermatomyositis clear muscle atrophy was rare and echointensities were highest in forearm muscles. Echointensities were lower in dermatomyositis compared to poly- and granulomatous myositis. Granulomatous myositis was characterized by the highest echointensities and a tendency towards muscle hypertrophy. Severe muscle atrophy was the most impressive feature in the majority of patients with inclusion body myositis. Comparison of ultrasound and histopathological findings indicates that muscle lipomatosis has a much greater impact on muscular echointensity than does muscle fibrosis. Ultrasound of myositis improved clinical assessment of patients by supplying differential diagnostic clues based on precise muscle size measurements and identification of mesenchymal abnormalities, particularly muscle lipomatosis.
Pyomyositis (PM) is an infectious disease of the skeletal muscle with a wide range of symptoms such as pain, fever or swelling, and is predominantly found in the tropics. In recent years PM has increasingly been diagnosed in Europe and in the U.S. Our objective is to describe the ultrasound and MRI features of PM in children. A retrospective analysis of 12 children with PM (2 girls and 10 boys; age range 1-13 years) admitted to our hospital between 1998 and 2002 was carried out. All children had a US exam and 8 children underwent MRI. Children with osteomyelitis and accompanying myositis were excluded from this study. In all patients who had MRI ( n=8) the infected muscles were found to have the following features: hyperintensity on the T2-weighted images, diffuse borders and contrast enhancement. In the pelvis ( n=4), only one PM could be detected with US, in the other 3 cases only US of the hip joint was performed based on the clinical symptoms. In the extremities ( n=8) US always revealed an altered echogenicity of the affected muscles as well as fluid collection in 5 cases. Both US and MRI reveal characteristic changes of the PM. Ultrasound should be the first imaging modality in the extremities. In the pelvis MRI is the imaging modality of choice. The MRI is needed to differentiate pyomyositis from osteomyelitis.
Musculoskeletal infections, including osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, necrotizing fasciitis, and pyomyositis, can occur in previously healthy children and lead to severe long-term morbidity if not recognized and treated promptly. Early diagnosis is crucial, and initial presentation is often to the primary care pediatrician. In addition to making a diagnosis, identification of the causative organism is imperative, especially in light of increasing resistance patterns. Identification may be accomplished through direct culture of debrided or aspirated tissue. Although they often produce negative results, blood cultures should be obtained in all cases because they may yield the pathogen. Initial antibiotic management should cover the most common etiologic organisms, and consideration should be given to local rates of community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Radiologic studies may be diagnostic, and the high sensitivity and resolution of MRI often make it the study of choice. In suspected cases of necrotizing fasciitis, prompt surgical management should not be delayed by radiologic evaluation. Although rarely fatal, musculoskeletal infections may be associated with long-term sequelae. Initial management should be aggressive, treatment courses should not be shortened, and long-term follow-up is essential.
Muscle involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus: multimodal ultrasound assessment and relationship with physical performance
- Di Matteo
- A Smerilli
- G Cipolletta
- E Wakefield
- De Angelis
- R Risa
- A M Salaffi
- F Farah
- S Villota-Eraso
- C Maccarrone
- V Filippucci
- E Grassi
Di Matteo A, Smerilli G, Cipolletta E, Wakefield RJ, De Angelis
R, Risa AM, Salaffi F, Farah S, Villota-Eraso C, Maccarrone V,
Filippucci E, Grassi W (2022) Muscle involvement in systemic
lupus erythematosus: multimodal ultrasound assessment and
relationship with physical performance. Rheumatology (Oxford)
61:4775-4785