MR of the sacroiliac joint
Anatomy of the sacroiliac joint
The sacroiliac joint is a flat joint. It connects the hip bone and the sacrum to each other. The surfaces of the joint are formed by the articular surfaces of the bones, covered by cartilage – fibrous (hip bone) and vitreous (sacrum). The stability of the entire joint is provided by the joint capsule covering both bones, as well as the fascia and ligaments of the pelvis.
Due to its anatomical structure and, more importantly, due to daily stresses, the sacroiliac joint is prone to a number of injuries and conditions. One of the most accurate methods of diagnosing hip joint pain is an MRI examination. This examination is completely non-invasive and painless. This is because during magnetic resonance imaging, a magnet, radio waves and an advanced computer are used to produce extremely detailed and precise images showing the inside of the sacroiliac joint.
What are the indications for an MRI of the sacroiliac joint?
An MRI of the sacroiliac joint may be necessary for a number of complaints reported by the patient, including:
- Sacroiliac joint pain,
- Sacro-lumbar pain,
- mechanical injury,
- inflammation,
- signs of damage to muscles, cartilage, joint capsules or ligaments,
- rheumatoid arthritis,
- suspected AS,
- degenerative changes.
What are the contraindications to an MRI of the sacroiliac joint?
A contraindication to performing an examination of the sacroiliac joint using MRI is the presence of electronic medical devices or metal components with ferromagnetic properties in the patient’s body, such as a pacemaker, orthopedic screws, insulin pump, etc.
At the same time, it should be noted that each element that has been implanted in the patient’s body has the appropriate certificates with information on what material it is made of.
Currently, a large number of implants are not a contraindication to examination in the high electromagnetic field found in MRI, because they are created from alloys of materials that do not show ferromagnetic properties, such as titanium.