MRI Can Eliminate Unnecessary Surgery for Children with Suspected Musculoskeletal Infections

A study was performed on 130 children with suspected musculoskeletal infections; 34 patients in the study group had an MRI after diagnostic or therapeutic intervention and 96 patients in the control group had an MRI prior to any procedure.

Results showed that about 60% of patients had neither septic arthritis nor osteomyelitis suggesting that “the majority of the children in the study group had a diagnostic or surgical procedure which could have been avoided with early MRI evaluation,” said J. Herman Kan, MD, lead author of the study.

Dr. Kan noted that MRI is not routinely performed prior to treatment because of concerns regarding time and treatment delay and patient sedation.

“If your pediatrician or orthopedic surgeon has a clinical concern for musculoskeletal infection, MRI plays a valuable role in the evaluation of your child’s symptoms,” said Dr. Kan. Even if there is a delay in diagnosis or if your child needs to be sedated for an MRI, MRI performed prior to invasive procedures will potentially eliminate the need for a diagnostic or surgical intervention altogether,” he said.

“In addition, if osteomyelitis or septic arthritis is present and treatment is indeed necessary, MRI performed first will potentially decrease operative time because MRI can provide a roadmap for the orthopedic surgeon,” said Dr. Kan.

This study appears in the November issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. For a copy of the full study, please contact Heather Curry via email at hcurry@arrs.org.

About ARRS

The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) was founded in 1900 and is the oldest radiology society in the United States. Its monthly journal, the American Journal of Roentgenology, began publication in 1906. Radiologists from all over the world attend the ARRS annual meeting to participate in instructional courses, scientific paper presentations and scientific and commercial exhibits related to the field of radiology. The Society is named after the first Nobel Laureate in Physics, Wilhelm Röentgen, who discovered the x-ray in 1895.