Can you see hip labral tear on MRI?

An MRI can provide detailed images of your hip’s soft tissues. A contrast material might be injected into the hip joint space to make a labral tear easier to see.

Do labral tears always show on MRI?

Regular MRI scans often miss labral tears.

What type of MRI is used for labral tears?

To rule out a labral tear, an MRI arthrogram needs to be ordered, not an MRI with contrast. When an “MRI with contrast” is ordered, contrast is injected into the vein, while the arthrogram injects contrast directly into the joint under fluoroscopy guidance.

What are the signs and symptoms of a hip labral tear?

Pain in your hip or groin, often made worse by long periods of standing, sitting or walking. A locking, clicking or catching sensation in your hip joint. Stiffness or limited range of motion in your hip joint.

Does hip labral tear pain come and go?

Pain can come on suddenly or develop gradually. Rotating your leg may be particularly painful. Acetabular labral tears often cause a feeling of the leg “catching” or “clicking” in the hip socket as you move it. It may also feel like the leg is locking up.

Can you see a hip labral tear on MRI without contrast?

In the current literature, non-contrast MRI is moderately accurate for identifying labral tears (85% sensitivity) and chondral rim damage (92% sensitivity) [13].

Can you walk with hip labral tear?

Pain in the front of the hip or groin resulting from a hip labral tear can cause an individual to have limited ability to stand, walk, climb stairs, squat, or participate in recreational activities.

Where do labral tears occur in the hip?

Tears occur most commonly in the anterior superior quadrant of the labrum. As a result, evaluation of the labrum to detect abnormalities before the onset of cartilage loss is among the most common indications for imaging of the hip. Occasionally, patients may have asymptomatic labral tears or developmental variations that mimic labral pathology.

Can a MRI detect labral lesions of the hip?

MRI of Labral and Chondral Lesions of the Hip. The pooled sensitivity and specificity for conventional MRI for femoral head lesions were 63% and 95% versus 79% and 97% for acetabular lesions. They identified only one MR arthrography study showing accuracy of detection of femoral head chondral lesions.

Are there hip anatomic variants that mimic abnormalities at MRI?

Hip Anatomic Variants That May Mimic Abnormalities at MRI: Labral Variants. A small percentage of patients (3%) do not have a labrum [ 7 ]. The labrum varies 2–3 mm in thickness [ 9 ]. It is thickest in the superior and posterior aspects and widest in the anterior and superior aspects of the hip [ 2 ].

What is the purpose of MR imaging of the hip?

MR imaging of the hip is one of the most common musculoskeletal MR imaging studies performed today to assess for occult fractures, acetabular labral tears, hyaline cartilage loss, and musculotendinous injuries.