mrimaster

MRI Knee

Common Indications for MRI of the Knee

Please check our new video tutorial for protocols and planning

Contraindications

Patient preparation for MRI Knee

Positioning for MRI Knee

mri positioning of knee

Recommended MRI Knee Protocols, Parameters, and Planning

Knee localiser

A three-plane localizer must be taken at the beginning to localize and plan the sequences. Localizers are usually T1-weighted low-resolution scans that last less than 25 seconds.

Knee MRI localiser image

PD fat sat axial 3mm

Plan the axial slices on the coronal plane, angling the Planning block parallel to the medial and lateral condyle of the femur. Verify the Planning block in the other two planes. Provide an appropriate angle in the sagittal plane, perpendicular to the line of the femur and tibia. Ensure that the slices adequately cover the knee joint from the tibial tuberosity up to the superior border of the patella. The phase direction in the axial scans should be from right to left to minimize artifacts caused by popliteal artery pulsation. To further reduce arterial pulsation artifacts, consider using saturation bands above and below the axial block.

MRI planning of knee axial

Protocol Parameters

TR

3000-4000

TE

15-20

SLICE

3 MM

FLIP

130-150

PHASE

R>L

MATRIX

320X320

FOV

150-160

GAP

10%

NEX(AVRAGE)

2

PD fat sat coronal 2mm

Plan the coronal slices on the axial plane, angling the Planning block parallel to the medial and lateral condyle of the femur. Check the Planning block in the other two planes. An appropriate angle must be given in the sagittal plane, parallel to the midline of the femur and tibia. Slices should sufficiently cover the entire knee joint from anterior to posterior. The phase direction in the axial scans should be head to feet to minimize artifacts from popliteal artery pulsation. Utilizing saturation bands above and below the coronal block will further reduce arterial pulsation artifacts.

Parameters

TR

4000-5000

TE

15-20

SLICE

2 MM

FLIP

130-150

PHASE

R>L

MATRIX

304X288

FOV

160-170

GAP

10%

NEX(AVERAGE)

2

T1 tse sagittal 2mm

Plan the sagittal slices on the axial plane; angle the Planning block parallel to the lateral condyle of the femur (parallel to the anterior cruciate ligament). Check the Planning block in the other two planes. An appropriate angle must be given in the coronal plane (parallel to the midline of the femur and tibia). Slices must be sufficient to cover the knee joint from right to left. The phase direction in the axial scans must be head to feet to avoid artifacts from popliteal artery pulsation. Using saturation bands above and below the sagittal block will further reduce arterial pulsation artifacts.

MRI planning of knee sagittal

Parameters

TR

400-600

TE

15-25

SLICE

2 MM

FLIP

130

PHASE

H>F

MATRIX

320X320

FOV

160-170

GAP

10%

NEX(AVERAGE)

2

T2 STIR sagittal 2mm

Plan the sagittal slices on the axial plane; angle the Planning block parallel to the lateral condyle of the femur (parallel to the anterior cruciate ligament). Check the Planning block in the other two planes. An appropriate angle must be given in the coronal plane (parallel to the midline of the femur and tibia). Slices must be sufficient to cover the knee joint from right to left. The phase direction in the axial scans must be head to feet to avoid artifacts from popliteal artery pulsation. Using saturation bands above and below the sagittal block will further reduce arterial pulsation artifacts.

Parameters

MRI planning of knee sagittal

TR

4000-5000

TE

110

FLIP

130

NEX

2

SLICE

2MM

MATRIX

256X256

FOV

160-170

PHASE

H>F

GAP

10%

TI

130

T2*(MEDIC) sagittal 2mm

Plan the sagittal slices on the axial plane; angle the Planning block parallel to the lateral condyle of the femur (parallel to the anterior cruciate ligament). Check the Planning block in the other two planes. An appropriate angle must be given in the coronal plane (parallel to the midline of the femur and tibia). Slices must be sufficient to cover the knee joint from right to left. The phase direction in the axial scans must be head to feet to avoid artifacts from popliteal artery pulsation. Using saturation bands above and below the sagittal block will further reduce arterial pulsation artifacts.

MRI planning of knee sagittal

Parameters

TR

800-1200

TE

15-25

FLIP

30

NEX

2

SLICE

3 MM

MATRIX

256X256

FOV

160-170

PHASE

H>F

GAP

10%

oversample

50%

Optional Scans

PD fat sat coronal oblique 1.5mm for Anterior cruciate ligament

Plan the coronal oblique slices on the sagittal plane and angle the Planning block parallel to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Check the Planning block in the other two planes. An appropriate angle must be given in the coronal plane, parallel to the medial and lateral condyle of the femur. The slices should be sufficient to cover the ACL. The phase direction for these coronal oblique scans should be right to left to avoid pulsation artifacts from the popliteal artery. Applying saturation bands above and below the coronal block will further reduce arterial pulsation artifacts.

MRI knee protocol and planning for coronal anterior cruciate ligament(ACL)

Parameters

TR

3000-4000

TE

15-20

SLICE

1.5 MM

FLIP

130-150

PHASE

R>L

MATRIX

256X256

FOV

140-150

GAP

10%

NEX(AVERAGE)

4

PD fat sat sagittal oblique 1.5mm for ACL

Plan the sagittal oblique slices on the axial plane, angling the Planning block parallel to the ACL. Check the Planning block in the other two planes to ensure accuracy. In the coronal plane, an appropriate angle parallel to the ACL must be determined. The slices should sufficiently cover the ACL. For the sagittal oblique scans, the phase direction should be head to feet to minimize pulsation artifacts from the popliteal artery. Applying saturation bands above and below the coronal block will further reduce arterial pulsation artifacts.

MRI knee protocol and planning for sagittal anterior cruciate ligament(ACL)

Parameters

TR

3000-4000

TE

15-20

SLICE

1.5 MM

FLIP

130-150

PHASE

H>F

MATRIX

256X256

FOV

140-150

GAP

10%

NEX(AVERAGE)

4