Citation

Crema MD, Godoy IRB, Abdalla RJ, de Aquino JS, Ingham SJM, Skaf AY. Sports Health 2018; 10(1): 75-79.

Affiliation

Department of Radiology, Hospital do Coração (HCor) and Teleimagem, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1941738117741471

PMID

29116884

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Discrepancies exist in the literature regarding the association of the extent of injuries assessed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with recovery times. HYPOTHESIS: MRI-detected edema in grade 1 hamstring injuries does not affect the return to play (RTP). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4.

METHODS: Grade 1 hamstring injuries from 22 professional soccer players were retrospectively reviewed. The extent of edema-like changes on fluid-sensitive sequences from 1.5-T MRI were evaluated using craniocaudal length, percentage of cross-sectional area, and volume. The time needed to RTP was the outcome. Negative binomial regression analysis tested the measurements of MRI-detected edema-like changes as prognostic factors.

RESULTS: The mean craniocaudal length was 7.6 cm (SD, 4.9 cm; range, 0.9-19.1 cm), the mean percentage of cross-sectional area was 23.6% (SD, 20%; range, 4.4%-89.6%), and the mean volume was 33.1 cm(3) (SD, 42.6 cm(3); range, 1.1-161.3 cm(3)). The mean time needed to RTP was 13.6 days (SD, 8.9 days; range, 3-32 days). None of the parameters of extent was associated with RTP.

CONCLUSION: The extent of MRI edema in hamstring injuries does not have prognostic value. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Measuring the extent of edema in hamstring injuries using MRI does not add prognostic value in clinical practice.

Language: en

Keywords

hamstring injury; magnetic resonance imaging; return to play; soccer