Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that provide cushioning between bony prominences and the surrounding soft tissues. About 20 types of bursae have been described in the literature around the hip and pelvic areas, with variable extents and prevalences. The purpose of this poster is to characterize the clinically relevant bursae in this region focusing on normal anatomy, common pathological processes and their mimics.

Hip pain is a common symptom with a number of possible causes. Bursitis is an usual clinical entity that can cause severe disabling hip pain and is often a result of inflammation secondary to excessive local friction, infection, arthritides or direct trauma. It can clinically be easily misdiagnosed as joint-, tendon- or muscle-related pain and treatment of these conditions can be different. Therefore, it is very important to understand the anatomy and pathology of the bursae to help clinicians making the correct diagnosis.

A bursa is a fluid-filled sac lined with synovial cells that provide cushioning between bony prominences and the surrounding soft tissues, in order to reduce friction between moving structures. Several bursae are located around the hip and we didactically divided them into three groups: anterior compartment (iliopsoas bursa), lateral compartment (subgluteus maximus, subgluteus medius, piriformis, subgluteus minimus and gluteofemoral bursae), and posterior compartment (obturator externus, obturator internus and ischial bursae). (Fig.1) We also illustrate many conditions that simulate bursitis such as peritendinitis, tendon rupture, hydroxyapatite...

Symptoms in the vicinity of the hip are very common and are frequently caused by bursitis. The aim is to familiarize radiologists with the radiological features of bursitis and the differential diagnoses.

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