Imaging of Metallic Prostheses Using Novel Sequences: Early Experience

For many years, diagnostic imaging in patients with metallic implants had been limited to plain X-rays and nuclear medicine studies. Although there have been advancements with regards to imaging of hardware using computed tomography, many of the changes involve increasing the radiation dose at a time when the public has become increasingly sensitive to reported long term risk of carcinogenesis posed by this exposure. With recent technical developments, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the presence of metal is quickly becoming a reality with the added benefits of excellent soft tissue resolution and contrast. This could not come at a better time considering that new methods of hip and knee arthroplasty have led to unique complications which require timely diagnosis and treatment to prevent implant failure, damage to the surrounding soft tissues and, possibly, carcinogenesis [1, 2]. This article outlines some of these advances and describes the author’s early experiences in regards to the clinical use of these techniques.