Keywords:
Musculoskeletal bone, MR, Education, Normal variants, Tissue characterisation
Authors:
C. D. O. Mira1, M. Ataíde2, M. H. Valentim2, P. D. Afonso3; 1Loures/PT, 2Lisboa/PT, 3Lisbon/PT
DOI:
10.26044/essr2019/P-0112
Background
Skeletal growth and maturation is a dynamic process,
with normal changes that must be differentiated from pathologic processes.
The bone marrow is one of the largest organs in the body,
it’s highly cellular and is the main site of hematopoiesis.
Its transformation occurs in a predictable pattern,
both in the long bones of the body as a whole and in each individual bone.
These normal developmental changes of the bone marrow that occurs during skeletal maturation must be understood to differentiate them from disease.
At least some bone marrow is visible in every magnetic resonance (MR) imaging study,
therefore familiarity with the normal appearance of the bone marrow during childhood and its peculiarities is essential not only to recognize normal patterns but also to diagnose pathological findings.
MR offers high tissue contrast and has a high sensitivity in the detection of fat and water,
enabling earlier assessment of infiltration by tumor or other marrow disorders before osseous destruction becomes apparent on radiograph or on computed tomography (CT).