Whats the difference between a MRI and hip arthrogram?
Your doctor has probably ordered an MR arthrogram, which is a two-step procedure. In the first step, contrast material is injected into the hip joint using fluoroscopic guidance, which is a method of using x-rays in real time to guide proper placement of the injection directly into the joint space. Lidocaine, a local anesthetic, may also be injected, which may temporarily relieve your pain. In the second step, you will be transferred to the MR scanner where you will undergo an MRI of the hip much in the same way as your prior scan. The advantage of the MR hip arthrogram over the regular MRI is that disorders of the labrum, a fibrocartilaginous structure surrounding the hip, are better visualized, as are other disorders of internal derangement of the hip. Hip arthrogram may also refer to a procedure where medication is injected into the hip joint to relieve pain.
