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Brucellosis is an important cause of spondylodiscitis in endemic areas. Brucellar spondylodiscitis is a serious complication because of its association with abscess formation. Prospective studies comparing patients with and without abscesses are lacking. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological features of brucellar spondylodiscitis and to compare patients with and without abscesses regarding treatment and outcome. Out of 135 consecutive patients with brucellosis, 31 patients with spondylodiscitis were recruited for the study. Patients were grouped according to magnetic resonance imaging findings. The frequency of spondylodiscitis was 23.0 %. Sites of involvement were lumbar (58.1 %), lumbosacral (22.6 %), cervical (9.7 %), thoracolumbar (6.5 %), and thoracic (3.2 %). Abscesses occurred in 19 (61.3 %) patients and were associated with low hemoglobin levels. Medical treatment included a combination of streptomycin (for the first 3 weeks), doxycycline, and rifampin. The total duration of treatment was 12-39 (mean 17.0 ± 8.5 SD) weeks. By 12 weeks of treatment, evidence of clinical improvement (67 vs. 28 %) and radiological regression (92 vs. 50 %) was significantly greater in patients without abscesses. The duration of treatment was longer if an abscess was present. Two female patients with abscesses required surgical intervention. Both patients presented with high fever, neurologic deficit, and high Brucella standard tube agglutination test titers. Each patient should be evaluated individually, based on clinical findings, laboratory data, and radiological results, when undergoing treatment for brucellar spondylodiscitis. If abscesses are found, a longer course of treatment and even surgical intervention may be needed.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common lethal primary central nervous system tumor in adults. GBM is rarely seen in childhood and adolescence as primary intraventricular tumors. Few cases of solitary intraventricular GBM in adolescence have been reported to date. We report a 16-year-old boy with progressive disorientation, diffuse headache, vomiting, and increased intracranial pressure. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed that the tumor filled posterior body and occipital horn of the left lateral ventricle and also invaded the surrounding parenchyma. Incomplete removal of the lesion was achieved and a pathologic diagnosis of GBM was carried out. We present a case with an uncommon subtype of glial tumor (GBM) in childhood located in a very rare site. The clinical course, radiologic findings, and possible treatment regimens are reviewed.

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Desmoplastic fibroma of the bone is a very rare benign tumour, which may be locally aggressive. We report X-ray radiographic and MRI findings of a case of desmoplastic fibroma of the humerus in a 33-year-old man who presented with a slowly enlarging arm mass over years. Desmoid fibroma should be taken into consideration in case of a low T2 signal in a non-sclerotic fibroosseous lesion.

Anatomic variations of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are very rare. The prevalence of congenital aplasia or hypoplasia of the ACL is 0.017 per 1,000 live births. The normal ACL consists of the anteromedial (AMB) and posterolateral bundles (PLB). Together, they attach to a fossa on the posteromedial aspect of the lateral femoral condyle. The PLB fibrils are smaller and shorter than those of the AMB. We report an ACL variation that had not been previously described, in which the PLB was attached to an intraarticular accessory ossicle, without causing knee instability. The large accessory ossicle caused pain. We reviewed the anatomy, anomalies, and variation in the ACL.

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BackgroundBeta-thalassemia major (β-TM) patients need blood transfusions, which result in iron deposition. To regulate chelation therapy, iron load has to be measured. With MRI, the amount of signal loss and T2* decay time shortening are used for iron quantification.ObjectivesThe aim was to measure adrenal iron load with T2* relaxometry using MRI, and to compare it with liver and cardiac iron and serum ferritin, and to find out whether adrenal iron could be predicted from those parameters.Patients and MethodsBetween October 2014 and March 2015, MRI was performed in 21 patients with β-TM, recieving blood transfusions and chelation therapy. The control group (n = 11) included healthy volunteers with no known history of adrenal, hematologic, chronic disease, and blood transfusion.ResultsAmong patients, there was no significant correlation between plasma ferritin and adrenal T2*. Significant difference was detected among T2* values of adrenals between the patient and control groups. There was no significant correlation between adrenal gland and liver T2* in β-TM patients, moderate correlation was detected between adrenal T2* and cardiac T2*.ConclusionAdrenal iron in β-TM can be reliably measured in 3 Tesla MRI. The results highlight the absence of correlation between adrenal iron deposition both with serum ferritin and hepatic iron.