11.06.2008

MRI Can Eliminate Unnecessary Surgery for Children with Suspected Musculoskeletal Infections

Pre-treatment MRI can eliminate unnecessary diagnostic or surgical procedures for children with suspected musculoskeletal infections (septic arthritis and osteomyelitis) according to a study performed at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, TN.

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.

source: ARRS

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