The role of MRI in musculoskeletal practice: a clinical perspective

Abstract

This clinical perspective presents an overview of current and potential uses for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in musculoskeletal practice. Clinical practice guidelines and current evidence for improved outcomes will help providers determine the situations when an MRI is indicated. The advanced competency standard of examination used by physical therapists will be helpful to prevent overuse of musculoskeletal imaging, reduce diagnostic errors, and provide the appropriate clinical context to pathology revealed on MRI. Physical therapists are diagnostically accurate and appropriately conservative in their use of MRI consistent with evidence-based principles of diagnosis and screening.

Rapid assessment of quantitative T1, T2 and T2* in lower extremity muscles in response to maximal treadmill exercise

“…There is a compelling need to develop complementary techniques to provide better insights into the pathophysiology of functional impairment resulting from the effects of PAD on the end organ: the lower extremity skeletal muscle. MRI provides an excellent non-invasive diagnostic platform to quantify the physical and physiological attributes of skeletal muscle at rest and in response to interventions such as exercise (1). …”

Uniform combined reconstruction of multichannel 7T knee MRI receive coil data without the use of a reference scan

“…Effective musculoskeletal MRI is highly dependent on image uniformity, appropriate tissue contrast, and sharpness. Much of musculoskeletal joint imaging involves imaging at small FOVs, where variations in image uniformity become distracting at the very least and an impediment to appropriate diagnosis at the worst . Tissue contrast is another very important element of successful musculoskeletal MRI when distinction needs to be made between tissues such as subcutaneous and intramuscular fat, muscle, bone, and the different layers of cartilage .…”

“…Much of musculoskeletal joint imaging involves imaging at small FOVs, where variations in image uniformity become distracting at the very least and an impediment to appropriate diagnosis at the worst. [23][24][25] Tissue contrast is another very important element of successful musculoskeletal MRI when distinction needs to be made between tissues such as subcutaneous and intramuscular fat, muscle, bone, and the different layers of cartilage. 26 7T offers great promise in terms of the available SNR for achieving the highest degree of in-plane resolution.…”

Magnetic resonance imaging following regional limb perfusion of gadolinium contrast medium in 26 horses

“…Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is commonly used for the investigation of soft tissue injuries to the equine distal limb because of its high inherent soft tissue contrast resolution [1][2][3][4][5]. While intravenous gadolinium contrast material is commonly used in human and small animal MRI to further characterise neurological [6][7][8], neoplastic [9,10], vascular [11][12][13], and musculoskeletal [14][15][16] lesions, it is rarely used in equine distal limb studies due to high cost of contrast media, and the large volume required for systemic administration. Contrast administration systemically intravenously [17], and intrasynovially [18][19][20], has been shown to increase lesion conspicuity.…”