Early Legg-Perthes disease (ischemic necrosis of the femoral head) demonstrated by magnetic resonance imaging.

A case of early Legg-Perthes disease (ischemic necrosis of the femoral head) is presented to illustrate the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in demonstrating the presence of and extent of alterations of intensity of the ischemic femoral epiphysis compared with the normal. The unique advantages of flexible imaging planes and ability to perform follow-up examinations without the hazards of ionizing radiation are stressed.