MRI OF THE HIP WITH A SHOULDER SURFACE COIL IN OFF-CORONAL PLANE

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.