Imaging evaluation of hemophilia: musculoskeletal approach

Imaging assessment is an important tool to evaluate clinical joint outcomes of hemophilia. Arthropathic changes have traditionally been evaluated by plain radiography and more recently by ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Early arthropathic changes can be identified by modern imaging techniques such as T2 mapping MRI of cartilage even before clinical symptoms become apparent. Cross-sectional imaging modalities such as CT, ultrasonography, and MRI are useful in assessing bleeding-related musculoskeletal complications such as pseudotumors that still exist in some parts of the world. This article provides an overview of imaging of hemophilic arthropathy, and discusses the role and scope of individual imaging modalities currently in use in clinical practice, as well as of promising techniques that require further investigation in the immediate future.