AimLately, the diagnostic value of magnetic resonance imaging, Lasègue sign and classic neurological signs have been considered not accurate enough to distinguish the radicular from non-radicular low back with leg pain (LBLP) and a calculation of the symptomatic side muscle volume has been indicated as a probable valuable marker. However, only the multifidus muscle volume has been calculated so far. The main objective of the study was to verify whether LBLP subjects presented symptomatic side pelvic muscle atrophy compared to healthy volunteers. The second aim was to assess the inter-rater reliability of 3-D manual method for segmenting and measuring the volume of the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus and piriformis muscles in both LBLP patients and healthy subjects.MethodTwo independent raters analyzed MR images of LBLP and healthy subjects towards muscle volume of four pelvic muscles, i.e. the piriformis, gluteus minimus, gluteus medius and gluteus maximus. For both sides, the MR images of the muscles without adipose tissue infiltration were manually segmented in 3-D medical images.ResultsSymptomatic muscle atrophy was confirmed in only over 50% of LBLP subjects (gluteus maximus (p<0.001), gluteus minimus (p<0.01) and piriformis (p<0.05)). The ICC values indicated that the inter-rater reproducibility was greater than 0.90 for all measurements (LBLP and healthy subjects), except for the measurement of the right gluteus medius muscle in LBLP patients, which was equal to 0.848.ConclusionMore than 50% of LBLP subjects presented symptomatic gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus and piriformis muscle atrophy. 3-D manual segmentation reliably measured muscle volume in all the measured pelvic muscles in both healthy and LBLP subjects. To answer the question of what kind of muscle atrophy is indicative of radicular or non-radicular pain further studies are required.

BackgroundTwo-dimensional (2D) measurements of acetabular morphology and orientation are well known; there is less information on these acetabular characteristics in three dimensions. One important reason is the lack of standardized reference planes for the pelvis, especially in relation to the spinopelvic unit; another is that no method precisely assesses the acetabulum in three-dimensional (3D) orientation based on its axis rather than on the directions of the edges of the acetabular rim. We present an objective, highly reliable and accurate, axis-based approach to acetabular anthropometry in the measurement of acetabular volume and spatial orientation in both normal and pathologic hips. This was done using reference planes based on the sacral base (SB) and true acetabular axis in 3D computed tomography (CT) pelvic reconstruction.MethodsRadiological examinations of 30 physiologic pelves (60 acetabula) were included in the study. Reliability and accuracy of the method were verified by comparing acetabular angles in 2D pelvic scans with 3D reconstructions. We also applied the method to two pathologic acetabula.ResultsComparison of axis position in the horizontal plane revealed significant positive correlations between 2D angle measurements (acetabular anteversion angle [AAA] and anterior acetabular index [AAI]) and 3D measurement of anteversion angle (p < 0.001 and p = 0.012, respectively). In the frontal plane, there was no difference between abduction angle, measured on topogram, and inclination angle, obtained from a 3D model (p = 0.517). In the sagittal plane, there was a significant negative correlation between AAA and acetabular tilt (p < 0.001). Inter- and intra-observer reproducibility was excellent for determination of the sacral-base plane and assessment of volume, with Fleiss κ coefficients of 0.850 and 0.783, respectively, and intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.900 and 0.950, respectively. Inter-observer reproducibility for evaluation of acetabular axis ranged from 0.783 to 0.883, and intra-rater reliability ranged from 0.850 to 0.900 for all 3D angles.ConclusionsOur method is a new, reliable diagnostic tool for assessing the acetabula in both normal and pathologic hip joints. The sacral-base plane can be used as a stable reference that takes the relationship of the acetabulum to the spinopelvic unit into consideration.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12891-015-0503-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The aim of this study was to assess the validity and test-retest reliability of Thermovision Technique of Dry Needling (TTDN) for the gluteus minimus muscle. TTDN is a new thermography approach used to support trigger points (TrPs) diagnostic criteria by presence of short-term vasomotor reactions occurring in the area where TrPs refer pain. Method. Thirty chronic sciatica patients (n=15 TrP-positive and n=15 TrPs-negative) and 15 healthy volunteers were evaluated by TTDN three times during two consecutive days based on TrPs of the gluteus minimus muscle confirmed additionally by referred pain presence. TTDN employs average temperature (T avr), maximum temperature (T max), low/high isothermal-area, and autonomic referred pain phenomenon (AURP) that reflects vasodilatation/vasoconstriction. Validity and test-retest reliability were assessed concurrently. Results. Two components of TTDN validity and reliability, T avr and AURP, had almost perfect agreement according to κ (e.g., thigh: 0.880 and 0.938; calf: 0.902 and 0.956, resp.). The sensitivity for T avr, T max, AURP, and high isothermal-area was 100% for everyone, but specificity of 100% was for T avr and AURP only. Conclusion. TTDN is a valid and reliable method for T avr and AURP measurement to support TrPs diagnostic criteria for the gluteus minimus muscle when digitally evoked referred pain pattern is present.

BackgroundShort-term vasodilatation in the pain area after dry needling (DN) of active trigger points (TrPs) was recorded in several cases of sciatica. Moreover, the presence of TrPs in sciatica patients secondary to primary lesion was suggested. Still, it is not known how often they occur and if every TrPs can provoke vasomotor reactions.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of active TrPs among subacute sciatica patients and the response to DN under infrared thermovision (IRT) camera control.MethodFifty consecutive Caucasian patients (mean age 41.2 ± 9.1y) with subacute sciatica were diagnosed towards gluteus minimus TrPs co-existence. Based on TrPs confirmation, patients were divided into two groups: TrPs-positive and TrPs-negative, than DN under IRT control was performed. Skin temperature changes and the percentage size of vasomotor reactions in the pain area were evaluated if present.ResultsThe prevalence of active TrPs was 32.0%. Every TrPs-positive presented vasodilatation dependent on TrPs co-diagnosis (r = 0.72 p < 0.000) and pain recognition during DN (r = 0.4 p < 0.05). The size of vasodilatation in TrPs-positive subjects was: post-DN 12.3 ± 4.0% and post-observation 22.1 ± 6.1% (both p = 0.000) versus TrPs-negative: post-DN 0.4 ± 0.3% and post-observation 0.4 ± 0.2%. A significant temperature increase in the thigh and calf was confirmed for TrPs-positive subjects only (both p < 0.05). Post-DN and post-observation temperatures were as follows: average (thigh:1.2 ± 0.2°C; 1.4 ± 0.2°C, both p < 0.05 and calf: 0.4 ± 0.2°C; 0.4 ± 0.3°C, both p < 0.05) and maximum (thigh 1.4 ± 0.3°C 1.6 ± 0.3°C; both p < 0.05).ConclusionsThe presence of active TrPs within the gluteus minimus muscle among subacute sciatica subjects was confirmed. Every TrPs-positive sciatica patient presented DN related vasodilatation in the area of referred pain. The presence of vasodilatation suggests the involvement of sympathetic nerve activity in myofascial pain pathomechanism. Although the clinical meaning of TrPs in subacute sciatica patients is possible, further studies on a bigger group of patients are still required. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12614001060639. Registered 3 October 2014.

Objectives. The study aimed to compare the accuracy of different methods of data acquisition and data reconstruction and to assess their usefulness for 3D printing of tooth replicas. Methods. 3-dimensional models of molar and canine teeth obtain utilizing CBCT examination with different protocols, and optical scanning was compared with models derived from micro-computed (micro-CT) examination using Geomagic Studio Qualify software. A pairwise comparison of 3D models with analysis of standard deviation and the value of the mean distance of given surfaces was performed. Results. Standard deviation and the value of the mean distance were lowest for optical scanning followed by CBC in high and standard resolution in all tested protocols. Models, obtained with high-resolution CBCT protocols, of teeth in and outside of alveolar bone showed similar average distance parameters, but standard deviation parameter was significantly lower for models of teeth scanned outside of the socket. Good surface representation on all models was seen at relatively smooth areas while in areas of high changes in the geometry CBCT based models performed inferiorly to those obtained from an optical scanner. Conclusions. In case of teeth of noncomplicated texture, independently from a position (within or outside the alveolar socket), the high-resolution CBCT seems to be a sufficient method to obtain data for 3D printed tooth replica. Optical scanning performs better when a detailed replica is necessary.