OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of radiotherapy on bone tissues and the accuracy of gray level measurements on radiographic images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four Wistar rats were submitted to external radiotherapy (single 3000 cGy dose) on an area of 2 cm × 2 cm of their right legs. The animals were sacrificed six weeks after radiotherapy, and both irradiated and contralateral (non-irradiated) legs were removed, dissected, evaluated for thickness, x-rayed in a standardized form and histologically processed (stained with hematoxylin-eosin and picrosirius red). The radiographs were digitalized and the gray level average was measured with the ImageTool® software. RESULTS: The femur thickness of non-irradiated legs was greater than that of the irradiated legs (p < 0.05). Radiographically, the findings indicated a higher bone density in the non-irradiated legs, although with no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). Histological analysis of the irradiated legs demonstrated a decrease in the number of osteocytes and Haversian canals, although with no statistically significance (p > 0.05). On the other hand, a significant increase in adipocytes was observed, resulting in a reduction of medullary tissue in the irradiated legs (p < 0.05), besides a higher osteoblastic activity in the non-irradiated legs (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Radiotherapy within the above mentioned parameters determined a decrease in activity of bone remodeling, which could be radiographically detected in the majority of the evaluated specimens.

Keywords: Radiotherapy, Ionizing radiation, Bone tissue

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the development of children with vertically transmitted HIV infection by comparing two methods for bone age assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 100 children aged between 4 years and two months and 11 years and 9 months were studied. The hands and wrists of the children were X-rayed using standard techniques and the films were subsequently analyzed according to the Greulich & Pyle (1959) and by Eklöf & Ringertz (1967) methods. RESULTS: The results showed statistically significant differences between the two methods, with the Eklöf & Ringertz method being distinguished by higher sensitivity (p < 0.05). In the group of female patients statistically significant differences were seen between control and HIV+ cases (seven cases) when assessed using this method (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study showed that HIV influenced skeletal development in this group of patients.

Keywords: Skeletal age, HIV infection, Children, Eklöf & Ringertz, Greulich & Pyle

In this study we present and discuss a case of a patient in which a Kirschner wire was used for fixation of a fractured zygomatic bone. The Kirschner wire was not removed after four weeks as recommended in the literature but only after behaving as foreign body.

Keywords: Kirschner wire, Zygomatic fracture, Foreign body