Magnetic resonance findings in skeletal muscle tears

Magnetic resonance (MR) images of skeletal muscle tears can clearly delineate the severity of muscle injury. Although MR imaging is seldom necessary in patients with acute muscle trauma, it can be helpful in deciding on clinical management. The two major MR findings in acute muscle tears are deformi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Skeletal radiology 1993-10, Vol.22 (7), p.479-484
Main Author: DE SMET, A. A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Edema - pathology
Hemorrhage - pathology
Humans
Injuries of the limb. Injuries of the spine
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
Medical sciences
Muscles - injuries
Muscles - pathology
Muscular Diseases - pathology
Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
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Summary:Magnetic resonance (MR) images of skeletal muscle tears can clearly delineate the severity of muscle injury. Although MR imaging is seldom necessary in patients with acute muscle trauma, it can be helpful in deciding on clinical management. The two major MR findings in acute muscle tears are deformity of the muscle and the presence of abnormal signal reflecting hemorrhage and edema. In acute tears, methemoglobin within the extravascular blood causes high-signal areas on both T1- and T2-weighted images. With partial tears, the blood may dissect in a distinctive linear pattern along the muscle bundles and fibers. As healing begins, the muscle signal diminishes, first on the T1-weighted images and then on the T2-weighted images. When there is residual abnormal signal on images obtained more than several months after the injury, it is presumed to represent hemorrhage from recurrent tears. In patients with a questionable history of a remote injury, the clinical presentation may be that of persistent pain or a soft tissue mass. In these cases MR imaging may identify the cause of the pain and can exclude a neoplasm by proving that the mass is a hypertrophied or retracted muscle. Thus, MR imaging has a limited, but occasionally important role in selected patients with skeletal muscle tears.
ISSN:0364-2348
1432-2161
DOI:10.1007/BF00209094