Iliopsoas tendon tear: clinical and imaging findings in 4 elderly patients.

Hip pain is a common clinical presentation of elderly patients in the emergency department. We report the clinical and imaging findings in 4 elderly patients with iliopsoas tendon tears who presented at our institution between October 2009 and June 2010. In 2 patients, the imaging diagnosis was significantly delayed. This injury is uncommon, and the clinical presentation in these patients may be misleading. Magnetic resonance is the imaging modality of choice after radiographs to assess these patients, and knowledge of the complex anatomy of the iliopsoas myotendinous unit helps in making the correct diagnosis. With aging of the population, the incidence of iliopsoas tendon tear is likely to increase.