Keywords:
Trauma, Diagnostic procedure, MR, Musculoskeletal system, Extremities, Bones
Authors:
A. L. Lourenco1, A. P. Caetano1, C. A. S. Ruano1, P. Alves1, �. Marques2; 1Lisbon/PT, 2Lisboa/PT
DOI:
10.26044/essr2019/P-0162
Conclusion
Bone marrow contusions are often regarded as benign and self-limiting lesions,
in most cases resolving 4 to 12 months after injury.
However,
when they are associated with subchondral or osteochondral injuries,
they may have deleterious effects producing late degenerative changes.
Therefore it is important to accurately detect underlying soft-tissue injuries which may predict long-term degenerative changes.
MRI is a very sensitive imaging technique to detect bone marrow pathology. It is very common to find signal abnormalities in the subchondral bone marrow of the knee,
involving the tibia,
the femur or the patella,
especially in fluid sensitive sequences. Radiologists should be aware of bone contusion patterns of the knee that can predict with accuracy the specific soft tissue abnormalities that are likely to be present.
Table 1