Hip MRI

MRI of the hip joint on a 3T Siemens platform, providing detailed evaluation of the acetabular labrum, femoral head cartilage, surrounding tendons, and bony morphology. The scan identifies femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), labral tears, avascular necrosis, and early osteoarthritis with higher resolution than standard 1.5T imaging.

Hip MRI has become increasingly important as femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) has been recognised as a treatable precursor to early-onset osteoarthritis. At 3 Tesla, the acetabular labrum is visualised with substantially greater clarity than at 1.5T, enabling confident detection of labral tears without the need for intra-articular gadolinium in many cases — though MR arthrography remains available for equivocal findings. HELIMED's hip protocol includes coronal, sagittal, and axial oblique sequences with proton-density fat saturation as the primary contrast. The radiologist assesses alpha angle and lateral centre-edge angle for cam and pincer morphology, labral integrity and detachment pattern, femoral head cartilage thickness, and the presence of paralabral cysts that indicate chronicity. T1-weighted coronal images evaluate bone marrow signal for avascular necrosis staging (Ficat classification), stress fracture detection, and marrow-replacing pathology. The scan also covers the greater trochanteric region, assessing the gluteus medius and minimus tendons for tendinopathy and tearing — a frequent cause of lateral hip pain that is often misdiagnosed as trochanteric bursitis. Duration is approximately 30 to 40 minutes.