Anatomy of the hip: correlation of coronal and sagittal cadaver cryomicrosections with magnetic resonance images.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is noninvasive and provides images with higher soft tissue contrast than possible with any other imaging modality. Unlike CT which depicts anatomy in the axial plane, MRI is capable of producing images in thin cross sections acquired directly in any plane, usually axial, coronal or sagittal planes. The use of diagnostic MR images is facilitated by an understanding of the detailed anatomy that is depicted. The purpose of this study was to identify anatomical structures in coronal and sagittal cryomicrosections of the hip region. Thin cryosections of the hips of fresh-frozen cadavers were obtained by a method developed by one of the authors (WR). These sections were matched with thin-section, high resolution MR images of a normal volunteer. The complex anatomy of the hip and its surrounding muscles, tendons and ligaments was exquisitely depicted on both the cadaver microcryosections and the matched MRT images.