Dedicated MR system and acute trauma of the musculo-skeletal system.

MRI diffusion in the osteoarticular field is limited by the high costs of whole-body systems. Recent technological advances have allowed the development of cost-effective and easy-to-install dedicated MRI systems. One such system, which can only be employed for the study of limbs, is based on a 0.2-T permanent magnet. Acute trauma of the musculo-skeletal system represents an important area of application. Over a period of 2 years, 1258 patients with acute trauma of the joints (64%) and the periarticular bones (36%) have been studied. Satisfactory results, comparable to those from whole-body scanners operating at higher magnetic fields, were obtained. Acute painful syndromes did not represent an obstacle to the performance of the examination. Only in 2% of patients was it not possible to carry out the examination due to oversized limbs or complete articular blocks. On the basis of these considerations, it may be predicted that in the near future dedicated MR systems will find increasingly wide application in the field of musculo-skeletal traumatology.