Role of Radiology in Bone Disease
Have you undergone an MRI scan for your joint pain? Radio-imaging techniques like MRI scan can help provide a better treatment plan for your Radiology in bone bone disease. It is a revolutionary breakthrough in diagnostic quality and speed!
What is Radiology?
Doctor looking on the radiographic image of bone, Credits: pixabay
Radiology is a branch of science that deals with X-rays and other high energy radiation for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. It is also well suited to enhance medical education by providing visuals of physiological action.
Articular disease is characterized by a wide spectrum of musculoskeletal diseases. Some of which include hip and knee pain caused by osteoarthritis (OA) together with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and gout.
Advanced radiologic techniques like magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques, sodium imaging, delayed gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging of cartilage, and spin-lattice relaxation in the rotating frame (T1r), has led us to a new domain in detecting and evaluating patients with various bone disease.
All these radio-imaging techniques can help identify early pre-structural changes in patients suffering from radiology in bone diseases with the real-life manifestation of an imaging biomarker. Some of these techniques are mentioned below.
X-Ray
X-ray of the knee joint, Credits: pixabay
It is a high energy form of electromagnetic radiation that helps physicians observe various changes in bone structures ranging from inflammatory differentiation due to degenerative causes of joint space narrowing, knee flexion and cartilage loss. All of which can be easily identified with X-rays.
Computed tomography (CT) Arthrography
Evaluation of prosthetic implant through CT, Credits: pixabay
It helps visualize any abnormalities in the bone cartilage. This technique requires radiation exposure and intraarticular injection of contrast material. It is a potential noninvasive technique which can help detect early degeneration of articular cartilage in conditions like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography technique plays a central role in osteoporosis radiology in bone diseases by providing a better fracture risk assessment and its treatment.
MRI
Woman undergoing MRI Scan, Credits: pixabay
MR imaging technique used to diagnose and stage diseases like Paget’s disease of bone, OA, osteoporosis pathophysiology and fibrous dysplasia. Although these disorders often manifest as cartilage and bone disorder, it is, in fact, a whole-organ disease and MR imaging technique can help observe all these changes in order to provide a better treatment plan.
T2 Mapping
T2 Mapping an advanced MRI technique, Credits: pixabay
It is a technique under MR imaging and is extensively used in fibrous dysplasia radiology in bone diseases wherein it provides marked variability in the appearance of the bone lesions. Radiographic features like a cotton wool skull in Paget’s disease of bone can also be detected by T2 Mapping.
Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging of cartilage
MRI Scan of spinal cord, Credits: pixabay
This technique of MR imaging helps depict morphological changes in the cartilage that may be predictive of progression to OA. it helps identify the differentiation between early-stage degenerated cartilage and normal cartilage.
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