THE UTILITY OF CONTRAST-ENHANCED MRI IN DIAGNOSIS OF MUSCLE INJURIES OCCULT TO CONVENTIONAL MRI

Purpose: Our goal was to define the utility of contrast-enhanced MRI i n the diagnosis of occult muscle injuries on T2 and STIR sequences. Me thod: We retrospectively reviewed the pre- and postcontrast MR studies of four professional athletes with a clinical diagnosis of suspected muscle injuries. Results: The four cases demonstrated muscle strain in juries not visualized on the conventional T2 and STIR sequences but vi sualized on the postcontrast MR studies as areas of localized enhancem ent. Conclusion: We recommend the intravenous administration of gadoli nium in the setting of clinically suspected muscle injuries not visual ized on T2 and STIR sequences.