Soft Tissue Injuries
Injuries to the soft tissues of the body are probably the
most frequent cause of musculoskeletal dysfunction. With the recent development
and implementation of MRI, it is now possible to evaluate noninvasively all the
soft tissue structures in the body (eg, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and
cartilage) that may be responsible for a patient’s symptoms. Ultrasonography is
also used to assess soft tissue disorders of the musculoskeletal system. The
major advantage of US is its availability, safety, and lower cost compared with
MRI. It is waves; thus osseous structures or soft tissues shielded by osseous
tissue cannot be evaluated. Compared with the other imaging modalities the
efficacy of US is heavily dependent on the operator of the equipment, but this
should not preclude its use in appropriate clinical situations. Considering its
cost and availability, the role of US may grow as staff in more centers become
proficient in its application. This is already true in many European countrieswhere US is heavily used in the evaluation of musculoskeletal disorders. The
following sections present the role of radiologic imaging in the assessment of
patients with musculoskeletal injuries.
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