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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
A Novel Application of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Imaging
Published on: September 17, 2013
MR imaging in the prognostication of hamstring injury. Work in progress
1Department of Radiology, Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, OH 45219.
Purpose:
To correlate morphologic and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings in hamstring injury with short-term prognosis and convalescence interval (CI).
Materials And Methods:
A retrospective study of 14 professional athletes with hamstring injury was performed. The injuries were categorized according to muscle group involved, percentage of cross-sectional area affected, location, and signal intensity on T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo images.
Results:
Longer CIs (> 6 weeks) were seen in injuries with complete transection, greater than 50% cross-sectional muscle involvement, ganglionlike fluid collections (long T1 and T2), hemorrhagelike signal intensity (short T1 and T2), distal myotendinous junction tears, and deep muscular tears. Shorter CIs (< 5 weeks) were seen in superficial muscle injuries and muscle belly injuries that involved small cross-sectional areas of the muscle.
Conclusion:
Prediction of CI for high-performance athletes with complete hamstring injury may be accomplished with use of MR imaging and poor prognostic factors.
