Dd. Dodai et Ra. Youngberg, MRI OF THE HIP WITH A SHOULDER SURFACE COIL IN OFF-CORONAL PLANE, Journal of computer assisted tomography, 19(2), 1995, pp. 336-338
Objective: We describe an inexpensive and simple method for optimal vi
sualization of the hip with MRI. Materials and Methods: A flexible sho
ulder surface coil and off-coronal planes of section oriented parallel
to the long axis of the femoral neck are used for MR studies of the a
ffected hip. Results: From January 1993 through December 1993, 155 hip
MR examinations were performed on 143 patients who were referred to r
adiology for evaluation of hip pain. No patient had to be rescanned as
a result of poor imaging technique or hip pathology not in the field-
of-view (FOV). The placement of the shoulder surface coil is simple wi
th no significant time loss for setup. Off-coronal, small FOV MRI obta
ined with the shoulder surface coil are superior to those obtained wit
h body coil imaging. Specifically, spatial resolution, tissue contrast
, and lesion characterization are improved without significant degrada
tion of signal-to-noise ratio. Conclusion: The study demonstrates an i
nexpensive and simple method for optimal visualization of the hip with
MRI applying the compound benefits of an available shoulder surface c
oil and the off-coronal plane of section.