[Images of growth zones of the femoral head, neck and greater trochanter in MR examination].

The possibilities of MR imaging were evaluated in 36 children with 58 normal hips. The analysed children were divided into 3 groups, basing on age at the time of investigation i.e. children less than 5 years old, age ranging from 5 to 12 years, and over 12 years of age. MRI allowed visualisation of all growth zones of the proximal femur. On T-1 weighted images the growth cartilage of the femoral head, neck, and greater trochanter were of intermediate signal intensity. On sequences using fat saturation and on gradient echo images the cartilage was of high signal intensity. The growth zone of the subtrochanteric cartilage was of low signal intensity on T-1 weighted images and high signal intensity on sequences using fat saturation and on gradient echo images. T-1 weighted images together with FLASH 3D FAT SAT seem to be sufficient for the analysis of the growth zones of the proximal femur.