Baker's Cyst

A Baker's cyst is swelling in the popliteal area of the knee caused by fluid. When the excess knee joint fluid is compressed between the bones of the knee, it becomes trapped and separated from the joint to form a fluid-filled sac.

Baker cyst's are not uncommon and can be caused by any swelling. The most common cause is arthritis.

Baker cyst's may cause not symptoms or just cause knee pain or tightness behind the knee, especially when the knee is extended or flexed. Baker's cyst usually can be visible as a bulge behind the knee.

Test to confirm a Baker cyst can be ultrasound and MRI.

Treatment for Baker's cyst is removal of fluid along with cortisone injection. sometimes medicines are given for pain and inflammation.

For more information you can visit myweb.lsbu.ac.uk and www.ajronline.org

Rotator Cuff Tear

The rotator cuff consists of four muscles and several tendons that surround the shoulder joint. A rotator cuff tear is a common cause of pain and injury among adults. Most tears occur in the supraspinatus muscle, but other parts may be injured.


Some different symptoms are as follows:
pain
weakness
decrease in ability to move arm
tearing sensation
muscle spasm

Some different causes are as follows:
excessive overhead activity (sports, painters)
trauma
degenerative process

Some different treatment's are as follows:
control pain by medicine
injections of steroids in joint
physical therapy
surgery

For more information on rotator cuff tear you can visit www5.aaos.org or www.emedx.com.

Avascular Necrosis or AVN

Avascular Necrosis or AVN is caused by death of the bone tissue because there is a lack of blood supply to that bone. This lack of blood supply can lead to the bone breaking or collapsing. I can affect any bone, but usually the head of the femur is the most common site it will affect. The lack of blood supply to the bone can be caused by many reasons. Injury or trauma can be on reason and the most common reason. Excessive alcohol and steroid use can also be a cause.

Other names for Avascular Necrosis are ischemic bone necrosis, aseptic necrosis or osteonecrosis.

Symptoms can vary to pain in area of interest, loss of motion in area or sometimes the patient may not experience any symptoms at all.

Treatments:
Early stages of AVN may benefit from medications and late stages may require surgery which may include a total hip replacement.

MRI is the diagnostic modality of choice to detect Avascular Necrosis.

For more information on Avascular Necrosis you can visit mskcases.com

Appendicitis

Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Mostly appendicitis begins when the opening from the appendix into the cecum gets blocked. When the blockage occurs, bacteria found in the appendix begins to infect the wall of the appendix and then it can rupture.

Some different symptoms of appendicitis are:
Abdomen pain
loss of appetite
nausea
vomiting
high temperature

There are different test that can help to diagnose appendicitis. They can vary from blood work, urinalysis, abdominal x-ray, ultrasound and CT.

Appendicitis can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are so common to other abdominal pathologies.

Usually once the diagnosis has been made and the doctor know you have appendicitis, surgery is done. sometimes it can be treated with antibiotics but most time the appendix is removed.

To find out more about appendicitis, you can go the the following websites: www.mghradrounds.org and www.medscape.com

Aortic Dissection

Aortic Dissection is when the aorta has a tear in the wall causing blood to leak between the layers of the wall and forcing the layers apart.

Some of the causes of aortic dissection is high blood pressure, many connective tissue disorders and trauma to the chest. Most people who suffer from aortic dissection are of the age between 50 to 70. Males are more likely to have this disorder than females.

Some different symptoms are sudden onset of chest pain. Some patients describe it as stabbing or tearing pain. Blood pressure changes and aortic insufficiency.

Some diagnostic test to diagnose aortic dissection can be a plain chest x-ray, CT, ECG, and MRI.

Treatment for aortic dissection is very important. Aortic dissection is a medical emergency and the risk of death is greatest in the first few hours after dissection begins. The choice of treatment depends on the location of the dissection. Sometimes surgery is needed and in other cases medical management is done.

If you would like to learn more about aortic dissection you can visit these websites, www.aic.cuhe.edu.hic and myweb.lsbu.ac.uk.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammatory process of the lung. Pneumonia can occur at all ages. The leading cause of death among the elderly is pneumonia. Vaccines can be given to prevent certain types of pneumonia.

Different causes of pneumonia can either be caused by bacterial infection of viral infection.

Some symptoms of pneumonia are:
cough
chest pain
fever
difficulty breathing
chills

Treatment for pneumonia depends on the cause of pneumonia. Most are treated with antibiotics.

Plain x-rays is one diagnostic tool to see if a patient has pneumonia along with examination of the sputum. CT of the chest can also diagnose pneumonia.

Introduction

My name is Robyn Dilger. I live in Owensboro, Kentucky and work at Owensboro Medical Health Systems. I have worked there for going on 8 years. I work in diagnostic x-ray, but I have been cross-trained in MRI. I have worked in MRI for the last several years. I love working in MRI and I am working on getting my Bachelors Degree in CT/MRI to help further my opportunities in the MRI department at OMHS.