MRI of the Hip

Professor of Radiology, University of Crete Computational BioMedicine Laboratory (CBML) Institute of Computer Science (ICS) Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH) Chairman of the Dpt of Medical Imaging, University Hospital-Heraklion Greece

Josef Kramer, Prof. MD PhD MMSC Physics degree (Technical University of Vienna) Degrees in Mathematics and Chemistry (University of Vienna) Medical degree (Medical School/University of Vienna) Trained as a radiologist at the University of Vienna Trained at the MR Training Center, Siemens, Erlangen (G) Fellowship under Prof. D. Resnick San Diego (USA) Head of Institut am Schillerpark in Linz (A)

In industrialized countries, where athletic activity is a positive determinant of good health, more and more people are involved in sports. As a result, sports-related injuries are becoming a common clinical entity. The overall incidence of sports-related hip injuries in both recreational and elite athletes is low compared to other anatomical areas. Some of these injuries though, may accelerate an otherwise slow degenerative process within a joint. The lack of accuracy of available clinical tests in patients with a painful hip induces clinical dilemmas on both diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, the anatomic variations existing in the hip area, underline the difficulties in arriving at a correct diagnosis. MR imaging has become the method of choice for the evaluation of painful joints. Nevertheless, in most cases the first step of imaging is/should still be a plain radiograph following a detailed clinical evaluation. The book aims to increase awareness among radiologists and physicians who are involved in the health care of patients with painful hips. Since image is a radiologist's diagnostic tool, we enriched each chapter with examples and schematic diagrams, which will help readers comprehend the content more fully. We feel fortunate to have worked with renowned experts and wish to sincerely thank all authors for their contribution to this book. A special thank has to be given to Ms N. Slavik, who was extremely patient and efficient on all editorial issues, from the first day until the very end of this book project. To our families, friends, and teachers Josef Kramer Apostolos Karantanas