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Objective To compare structural findings between US, micro-CT (µCT) and histology in people with OA of the hands. Methods We analysed DIP and PIP joints of 31 fingers from 15 dissecting-room cadavers with OA of the hands. The occurrence of bone erosions and osteophytes were recorded by US, µCT and histology at 16 regions for each joint and compared for each method. Results In total, US (n  = 558, 56.2% of 992 examined regions) and µCT (n  = 493, 49.7%) detected a higher frequency of osteophytes at PIP and DIP joints than histology (n  = 161, 23.4% of 689 histological examined regions; P  = 0.01). We found a comparable number of erosions with each method [US, n  = 52 (5.2%); µCT, n  = 43 (4.3%); histology, n  = 35 (5.2%)]. Both imaging techniques correlated moderately with each other regarding the detection of osteophytes (r  = 0.54, P  = 0.002) and erosions (r  = 0.43, P  = 0.017). Neither US nor µCT correlated with histology regarding erosions or osteophytes. With histology as the reference, US had a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 32% to detect osteophytes, whereas µCT had a sensitivity of 73% and a specificity of 27%. For erosions, sensitivities (US 10% and µCT 6%, respectively) were much lower. Microscopically, erosions contained fibrous myxoid tissue extending from subcortical cavities through the breach of cortical bone. Conclusions The ability of US to identify osteophytes was comparable to that of µCT, yielding a good sensitivity when histology was used as the gold standard. The sensitivity of US and µCT to detecting erosions was low compared with histology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the patellar tendon length (PTL) with focus on gender differences and possible correlations with the total leg length (TLL) and the long bones of the lower extremity. Materials and Methods: The sample involved 50 paired lower extremities from human adult cadavers. The TLL was measured between the medial malleolus and the apex of the greater trochanter. The femoral length (FL) was evaluated as the interval between the latter and the distal margin of the lateral epicondyle of the femur and the tibial length (TL) from the distal apex of the medial malleolus to the proximal border of the medial condyle of the tibia. The PTL was measured from the apex of the patella to its proximal insertion point at the tibial tuberosity. Results: The PTL was at a mean length of 4.29 ± 0.49 cm (right side) and 4.20 ± 0.55 cm (left side) in females and 4.42 ± 0.53 cm (right) and 4.32 ± 0.55 cm (left) in males. There were no differences regarding gender (p =.412). The left PTL was significantly shorter in both sexes (p =.022). The PTL correlated positively with FL, TL, and TLL in both sexes and sides. Conclusion: PTL correlates significantly positively with size without gender differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]