GE Healthcare MR Technique Improves Accuracy for Imaging Joint Replacements and Implanted Devices

Addressing the need for better imaging of tissue surrounding metal-containing implants such as joint replacements, GE Healthcare and researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Waukesha, Wis., designed and tested a novel MR imaging technique that cuts down on the image distortion caused by metal in implants. According to the study they researchers published in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, MR imaging using the new “MAVRIC SL” technique can detect inflammation of the joint lining (synovitis) in patients with metal-on-metal hip implants long before symptoms of joint complications such as pain and/or altered gait mechanics appear. “The addition of MAVRIC SL to a standardized MR protocol is instrumental in providing accurate, reproducible diagnosis of adverse tissue reactions around implants,” said Dr. Hollis Potter, Chief of MR Imaging at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and a lead member of the development team in the press release. “Even in asymptomatic patients, the MAVRIC SL technology can recognize an issue that needs to be monitored, providing valuable clinical information for an issue that can have significant human and economic costs, particularly when diagnosis is delayed.”