Hip MR arthrography and femoroacetabular impingement

Hip pain is a common complaint among athletes of all ages. Advances in imaging and treatment are changing the paradigm of evaluation and management of hip pain. The role of abnormal femoral and acetabular morphology and lesions of the acetabular labrum and cartilage is increasingly recognized as being crucial in the development of degenerative change. In addition, femoroacetabular impingement is increasingly recognized as an etiologic factor in hip pain. This article discusses techniques of hip magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography, normal anatomy seen at hip MR arthrography, common intra-articular pathologies in patients with hip pain, and imaging findings of femoroacetabular impingement.