Reduction of Metal Artifacts in Patients with Hip Joint Implants by Using Optimized Imaging Protocols

Introduction: Metal-on-metal (MOM) hip resurfacing implants were predicted to be suitable for young, active patients (1). However, there are indications that the MOM-implants fail more frequently than traditional implants (2), possibly caused by an aseptic lymphocytic vasculitis-associated lesion in the tissues surrounding the implant (3). The diagnosis of these lesions by MRI would be facilitated by artifact-reducing protocols, which have been outlined recently (3-5). The purpose of this study was to investigate to which extent metal artifacts can be reduced, in the worst case of a stainless steel implant, by optimizing routine imaging protocols, without resorting to special pulse sequences not widely available.