Signs of some basic injuries on the MRI scan of the elbow

The article was consulted with Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Thanh Hai - Radiologist - Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine - Vinmec Times City International Hospital.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an increasingly popular imaging technique used today. In particular, elbow MRI is a modern paraclinical test, which helps diagnose elbow injuries very effectively.

Elbow injuries can occur in the following situations:
Falls; Injuries during sports practice: soccer, basketball, cycling... Injury to the elbow while working. Most elbow injuries in children occur during a child's daily activities or during play. Elbows, forearms, wrists, and fingers are the most susceptible sites. Trauma that occurs near a joint can affect a child's development.
The elderly are at the highest risk of falls leading to injury and fractures. This is explained by the elderly lose a significant amount of muscle mass and decrease bone strength (osteoporosis). In addition, older adults also experience problems with vision and balance, which increases the risk of accidental injury.

2.1. Acute Elbow Injury Acute elbow injury that causes severe pain, swelling and bruising immediately upon injury includes:
Ligament damage, elbow tendon injury; Sprain ; Muscle strain: the muscles in the elbow are overstretched; Torn elbow muscle ; Elbow fracture ; Dislocation: dislocation of the joints of the bones. 2.2. Chronic Elbow Injury Chronic elbow injury occurs after a long period of repetitive movements that affect the elbow, using and putting too much pressure on the elbow, including:
Inflammation tendon (a common golfer's elbow disease): The ligaments that hold the elbow joint together become inflamed causing pain in the elbow, which is often worse with movement of the elbow. In addition, the patient also experienced stiffness and weakness in the elbow; Bursitis in joints that perform repetitive bad movements: symptoms of inflammation are pain in the elbow when moved or touched, the elbow is stiff, swollen, red; Nerve compression: compression caused by repetitive motion.

Indications for MRI of the elbow are performed when the patient has an elbow injury, inflammation accompanied by pain and limited mobility. MRI of the elbow provides the most complete information about the condition of the elbow, it is the main tool for making the differential diagnosis and is necessary before any surgical intervention - bone surgery, joint surgery or surgery. evaluate outcomes after the intervention.
An MRI of the elbow shows the surface of the joints made up of cartilage and surrounding area, the condition of the joint capsule and synovial membrane, ligaments, tendons around the joint, soft tissues, blood vessels and nerves. .. Thereby helping the doctor to reduce the risk of misdiagnosing the pathology at the elbow.
Through the modern MRI system, the images of the topology of the elbow are reproduced in 3D and from there, the patient's elbow joint anatomy is recorded. Radiologists are responsible for recording and comparing with normal elbow MRI to find abnormal deviations. From the MRI image of the elbow, the following diseases can be diagnosed:
Elbow fracture, ligament rupture; Elbow arthritis, bursitis or tendonitis; Cartilage dystrophy ; Inflammation of the tendons and ligaments of the elbow joint; Tunnel syndrome of the elbow joint. In addition, an MRI of the elbow can detect abnormalities in the joints, around the bone cells and periosteum, or abnormal bone growth (osteodystrophy).
Contraindications of MRI in general and MRI of elbow in particular include:
Patients who have had a temporary or permanent pacemaker implanted; In the patient's body there are magnetic objects such as some cochlear implants, stents and blood vessel clips; Patients in the arm area have undergone surgery to place intramedullary nails, metal screws. Patients with claustrophobia and pregnant women in the first 3 months of pregnancy; Relatively contraindicated in patients with body weight over 120 kg (especially for tunneling MRI). A very important issue to explain to the patient before taking an elbow MRI is that this method does not affect health, but also helps to accurately determine the cause and pathology of elbow damage.

Treatment of elbow injuries may include
First aid measures such as splinting, immobilizing the injury; Physical therapy; Medicines to support joint function, anti-inflammatory, pain relief; Surgery. The ability to treat an elbow injury depends on several factors:
Location, classification and severity of the injury; Time of elbow injury; The patient's age, health status, and activity level (such as work, sports ability or hobbies); Examining and checking disease symptoms for appropriate treatment. Elbow MRI is a modern laboratory test that helps diagnose elbow injuries very effectively. However, in order to have accurate and clear diagnostic imaging results, patients need to choose reputable medical facilities to perform.
Vinmec International General Hospital has introduced the most modern MRI system to examine and diagnose many musculoskeletal diseases, including elbow imaging techniques. The MRI technique at Vinmec is carried out methodically and in accordance with the standard procedures by a team of highly qualified medical professionals and modern machinery, thus giving accurate results, making a significant contribution to the identification. diagnosis and stage of disease.
If you have a need for medical examination by modern and highly effective methods at Vinmec, please register for an online examination.