The Application of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Early and Accurate Diagnosis of Hip Joint Avascular Necrosis.

Introduction Avascular necrosis (AVN) is characterized by the death (necrosis) of cellular bone components in the subchondral bone or epiphysis due to a lack of or an interruption of the blood supply. In routine practice, AVN is most frequently encountered in the femoral head. In this study, we aim to evaluate the application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the early and accurate diagnosis of hip joint AVN. Materials and methods This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Radiodiagnosis of Dr. D. Y. Patil tertiary care hospital, Pimpri, Pune, India. We studied 30 patients with complaints of pain and associated limping who underwent primary radiograph analysis of the hip joint, followed by MRI. Results We assessed 30 patients (45 hip joints) using plain radiography and MRI. Of the 45 hips, we could diagnose AVN in 28 hips (62.2%) using plain radiography, but we could not diagnose it in 17 hips (37.8%), whereas we were able to diagnose AVN in all hips (100%) using MRI. Forty percent of the patients (n = 12) were on steroids, 26.7% (n = 8) were chronic alcoholics, and 16.7% (n = 5) were idiopathic. The other less common causes were a history of trauma or fracture of the neck of the femur (n = 3) and sickle cell disease (n = 2). Of the 45 hips of the 30 patients studied, 15 patients had bilateral disease affecting a total of 30 hips (66.7%), and 15 patients had unilateral disease affecting a total of 15 hips (33.4%). Of the 30 hips (bilateral disease), five (13.3%) contralateral hips were clinically occult and were incidentally diagnosed with AVN. Conclusion The assessment of AVN based solely on plain radiography can miss vital information in stages II and III (Ficat and Arlet classification). Due to its multiplanar capability, superior spatial resolution, and better tissue characterization, MRI is very sensitive and able to detect femoral head AVN early and promptly in cases that are radiograph-negative or otherwise clinically unsuspected.