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Study Design. A case report. Objective. Presentation of a patient diagnosed with perforation of the aorta by pedicle screws at levels T6 and T9 2 years after spinal fusion, who was advised no intervention. Review of other reported cases that did not undergo excision of the penetrating screws. Summary of Background Data. More than 30 cases of aortic penetration by pedicle screws were described. Gradual penetration of the screws into the aorta rarely causes symptoms other than backache. However, only two cases were treated conservatively. Methods. A 65-year-old female patient underwent spinal decompression and T5-T10 posterior fusion following a spinal abscess. Two years and 8 months postoperatively, she underwent a computed tomography scan for suspicion of spinal hardware infection, which showed T6 and T10 screws penetrating the thoracic aorta. Results. Due to high morbidity, the patient was not offered an operation for screw excision. Conclusion. This case report adds to the only two previous reports of patients who did not undergo revision of pedicle screws penetrating thoracic aorta. Level of Evidence: 5

Objective: While articular cartilage defects are common incidental findings among adult athletes, the effect of running on the cartilage of adolescent athletes have rarely been assessed. This study aims to assess the variations in the articular cartilage of the knees in healthy adolescent basketball players using quantitative T2 MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). Design: Fifteen adolescent basketball players were recruited (13.8 ± 0.5 years old). Girls were excluded to avoid potential gender-related confounding effects. Players underwent a pre-run MRI scan of both knees. All participants performed a 30-minute run on a treadmill. Within 15 minutes after completion of their run, players underwent a second, post-run MRI scan. Quantitative T2 maps were generated using the echo modulation curve (EMC) algorithm. Pre-run scans and post-run scans were compared using paired t test. Results: Participants finished their 30-minute run with a mean running distance of 5.77 ± 0.42 km. Pre-run scans analysis found statistically significant ( P < 0.05) changes in 3 regions of the knee lateral compartment representing the cartilaginous tissue. No differences were found in the knee medial compartment. Post-run analysis showed lower T2 values in the medial compartment compared to the pre-run scans in several weight-bearing regions: femoral condyle central (pre/post mean values of 33.9/32.2 ms, P = 0.020); femoral condyle posterior (38.1/36.8 ms, P = 0.038); and tibial plateau posterior (34.1/31.0 ms, P < 0.001). The lateral regions did not show any significant changes. Conclusions: Running leads to microstructural changes in the articular cartilage in several weight-bearing areas of the medial compartment, both in the femoral and the tibial cartilage.