An MRI Arthrogram involves an injection of contrast into a specific joint space. MRI Arthrograms are performed on joint articulations including the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee and ankle, and are typically ordered when a physician needs to examine the soft tissue structure inside the joint as subtle cartilage and/or ligament damage is not visualized on standard MRI exams. Distending the joint with contrast enhances the imaging, allowing better visualization of the joint space. This increases the diagnosis accuracy, which can add improvement to the treatment plan provided by your physician.

Patients are provided a dressing room and garments to dress accordingly for the procedure. A staff member will then retrieve the patient and take them to the procedure room for the injection portion of the exam.

The patient will be prepped using a standard sterile technique. Once prepped, a preliminary radiograph will be obtained for needle placement guidance. The staff Radiologist will then administer lidocaine to numb the area of interest. After this step the Radiologist will administer a contrast solution to verify the placement of the needle within the joint space. Once verified, additional contrast will be administered, distending the joint space to the Radiologist’s discretion to obtain optimal imaging.

Following the injection procedure, the patient is taken to the MRI suite to obtain the post-contrasted imaging sequences. Once the MRI exam is complete, the study is concluded, and the patient is released.

Following the MRI exam, the MRI technologist will escort the patient to the lobby as a CD of the MRI images is prepared for the patient to take with them as they leave.

The radiologist will typically review the MRI images within 24 hours, prepare a detailed report of the findings and provide it to the referring physician. The report can also be made available to the patient via fax or hard copy for pickup at our office or by standard mail.