Knee imaging: what is the best modality

A wide range of exams are available for imaging the knee: standard radiogra phy, ultrasound, bone scintigraphy, CT scan, arthroscan, MRI, arthro-MRI. T he radiologist must be aware oi the performance capacities oi each techniqu e in order to orient the clinician's choice towards the most appropriate ex am in a given clinical situation. In the first part of this paper, we examine the performances, advantages an d disadvantages of each technique: exam conditions (patient position, incid ence, slice thickness, sequence...) are detailed as required The second part is a practical guide for some typical clinical situations w ith decision trees for ordering necessary and sufficient explorations.