MRI FOR SMALL JOINTS

The new High Field 1.5 T MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), represents a revolution in the field of diagnostic imaging and can provide an accurate study of degenerative, traumatic, neoplastic and professional bone and joint diseases.
The machine can rapidly provide clear and high-quality images (in fact, the examination does not last more than 20 minutes) while the patient sits comfortably in a relaxed armchair position.
The scanner’s design allows a perfect centring of the examined joint while the coils of different sizes allow a substantial increase of the signal right on the body part in question, thus providing extremely precise information on smaller structures such as tendons, ligaments and nervous systems.
The MRI is the preferred examination in the study of joints as it does not implicate biological damage to the patient since the magnetic field used is carried out without the presence of X rays; for this reason, it can be safely used and repeated even on children.
Today with the use of MRI it is possible to give a detailed evaluation of various joint structures (bones, cartilage, menisci and ligaments) thus making it unnecessary to use further investigative tools such as radiography or ultrasound scans.

It is usually the first examination carried out for the correct patient treatment, in case of traumatic joint diseases. It is in fact important to know what type of injury was procured and its severity for a correct treatment and therapy. This type of examination can be used in the sports field for both traumas and overuse injuries on bones and tendons, and to monitor therapy over time.  The MRI can be used even during rehabilitative post-injury and post-surgery therapy to evaluate potential complications causing the delay of a functional recovery. In the case of persistent pain for the elderly, the MRI can identify diseases otherwise unidentifiable by X-rays/ultrasounds.