Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2008; 12(1): 003-012
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1067933
© Thieme Medical Publishers

Spectrum of MRI Findings in Clinical Athletic Pubalgia

Donald C. Zajick1 , Adam C. Zoga1 , Imran M. Omar2 , William C. Meyers3
  • 1Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • 2Department of Radiology, Northwestern University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
  • 3Department of Surgery, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
01 April 2008 (online)

ABSTRACT

Athletic pubalgia is a frequently encountered syndrome for clinicians who treat active patients participating in a wide variety of athletic endeavors worldwide. Pathologies associated with this clinical scenario span anatomically from the pubic symphysis to the hip and include a myriad of poorly understood and incompletely described musculoskeletal entities, many of which are centered about the pubic symphysis and its tendinous attachments. In this article, we discuss the relevant anatomy and pathophysiology for the most frequently encountered of these disorders, using magnetic resonance (MR) images as a guide. We describe an MR imaging protocol tailored to clinical athletic pubalgia. We then review reproducible MRI patterns of pathology about the pubic symphysis, the rectus abdominis/adductor aponeurosis and the inguinal ring, as well as a group of clinically confounding entities remote from the symphysis but visible by MRI.

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Adam C ZogaM.D. 

Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

132 South 10th Street, 10 Main, Radiology Administration, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Email: adam.zoga@jefferson.edu

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