MRI

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the musculoskeletal system bears the greatest significance as state-of-the-art imaging technology. Instead of x-radiation, magnetic fields are used for this kind of examination. High-quality images are produced so that a disease of the shoulder may be identified with a significant higher degree of accuracy than on traditional radiology images.

In order to obtain a meaningful picture of the state of the joint cartilage surfaces, the joint capsule and the tendons and ligaments, an iodine-free contrast medium is injected into the glenohumeral joint first, depending on the problem. In the examination room, the patient lies within a magnet which is mostly open to the side (so-called open magnetic resonance tomograph). Short radio wave impulses stimulate the hydrogen nuclei in the tissue to emit electromagnetic signals.

A computer records those signals and computes images of the region to be examined. This painless examination of the shoulder takes about half an hour.