Magnetic resonance imaging of the epiphysis: an experimental study

The purpose of this study was to determine if metabolically altered cartilage could be distinguished from normal cartilage in the epiphysis by magnetic resonance imaging. Epiphysis from ten New Zealand White rabbits and five newborn lambs were imaged before and after heat-killing. The physiological change produced was documented with tritiated thymidine and radioactive sulfate autoradiography. Magnetic resonance imaging could detect differences in the tissues produced by heat-killing. The changes were most pronounced in the marrow, less pronounced in the epiphyseal cartilage and least pronounced but still detectable in the growth plate.