Radiology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Published online before print July 26, 2002, 10.1148/radiol.2243011259
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
2243011259v1
224/3/669    most recent
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Laor, T.
Right arrow Articles by Witte, D. P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Laor, T.
Right arrow Articles by Witte, D. P.
(Radiology 2002;224:669-674.)
© RSNA, 2002

Pediatric Imaging

Posterior Distal Femoral and Proximal Tibial Metaphyseal Stripes at MR Imaging in Children and Young Adults1

Tal Laor, MD, Galen F. H. Chun, MD, Bernard J. Dardzinski, PhD, Judy A. Bean, PhD and David P. Witte, MD

1 From the Departments of Radiology (T.L., B.J.D., G.F.H.C.), Biostatistics (J.A.B.), and Pathology (D.P.W.), Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45229. Received July 23, 2001; revision requested August 27; final revision received January 8, 2002; accepted January 29. Address correspondence to T.L. (e-mail: laor@chmcc.org).

PURPOSE: To determine the frequency and distribution of the hyperintense stripe seen along the posterior surface of distal femoral and proximal tibial metaphyses at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred forty-two MR imaging studies obtained in 139 children and young adults were reviewed. The authors recorded the presence and distribution of posterior distal femoral and proximal tibial metaphyseal stripes. Presence of stripe was correlated with patient age and sex and with patency of the adjacent physis. Fifty-nine studies of adults were reviewed similarly. Two-way analysis of variance was performed to compare mean patient age for sex among four different categories that were based on stripe presence and physeal patency. Orthogonal contrasts were used to determine whether a linear trend across the categories existed. In one cadaveric femur, imaging and histologic analysis were performed.

RESULTS: A metaphyseal stripe was seen in all patients with a completely or partially open physis (110 femora, 102 tibiae) and in 56 femora and 60 tibiae in the patients with fused physes. Thirty-five femora and 35 tibiae showed no stripe; all patients were skeletally mature. Correlations between metaphyseal stripe visualization and physeal patency were significant (P < .001). Differences in mean patient age among the four categories were significant for both (femoral and tibial) locations (P < .001), and a linear trend with age (P < .001) was demonstrated. This linear trend was also observed in both sexes (P < .001). Histologic analysis revealed highly vascular loose fibrous tissue.

CONCLUSION: A posterior metaphyseal stripe is seen at MR imaging of the skeletally immature knee and likely reflects normal bone growth.

© RSNA, 2002

Index terms: Bones, growth and development • Femur, MR, 451.121411, 451.121412, 451.121413, 451.121416, 451.12143 • Fibrous cortical defect, 451.3131 • Knee, anatomy, 45.92 • Tibia, 454.121411, 454.121412, 454.121413, 454.121416, 454.12143




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 RadiologyHome page
T. Laor and D. Jaramillo
MR Imaging Insights into Skeletal Maturation: What Is Normal?
Radiology, January 1, 2009; 250(1): 28 - 38.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]