Acetabular version on magnetic resonance imaging: analysis of two different measuring techniques

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic imaging
• Radiology
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• Acetabular version abnormalities can cause clinical issues.
• Computed tomography (CT) is standard for imaging acetabular version, but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is gaining traction.
• This study evaluates MRI's utility for measuring acetabular version.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if bony landmarks for acetabular version measurement are consistently identifiable on MRI.
• To assess if labral landmarks are comparable to bony landmarks for acetabular version measurement.
• To evaluate the reproducibility of acetabular version measurements using MRI.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 29 MRI examinations.
• Acetabular anteversion angle (AAA) measured using bony and labral landmarks.
• Measurements performed by two investigators at two separate times.

Main Results:

• Bony and labral landmarks were consistently identifiable on all MRI scans.
• AAA measurements were consistent and reproducible using both methods.
• Excellent agreement between bony and labral methods (ICC=0.943), with 97% of readings within 5 degrees.

Conclusions:

• MRI measurements of acetabular version are consistent regardless of whether bony or labral landmarks are used.
• MRI provides sufficient information for accurate acetabular version calculation.