Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a central role in the work-up of a patient presenting with a suspected musculoskeletal tumor. MRI can confirm the presence of a lesion, allow for a specific diagnosis in some cases, define the extent of…
How to Image Arthritis and Cartilage Magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ) remains the ideal imaging technique for evaluating articular cartilage, as it allows for direct visualization of the cartilage and subchondral bone, and its multiplanar capability and exquisite soft…
How to Image Infection ( Box 5.1 ) Musculoskeletal infections affect bones, soft tissues, and joints. Infection is often considered a therapeutic emergency, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a valuable tool for demonstrating the presence or absence of disease…
How to Image Nerves Coils and patient position: High-resolution images of the small peripheral nerves require the use of phased array surface coils. The large sciatic nerve can be evaluated without a surface coil, but better resolution is possible if…
How to Image Tendons Coils and patient position: Whether or not a coil should be used is based entirely on the anatomy to be imaged. Generally, surface coils improve images and should be used. For large areas, such as the…
How to Image Bone Marrow The most useful magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences for evaluating the marrow are T1-weighted (T1W) and fat-suppressed T2-weighted (T2W) (either short tau inversion recovery [STIR] or fast spin echo [FSE] T2 with fat suppression) sequences.…
Although a detailed understanding of nuclear physics is not necessary to interpret magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, it also is unacceptable to read passively whatever images you are given without concern for how the images are acquired or how they…