Update on MR Imaging Techniques of the Hip.

MR imaging protocols and technical parameters should be optimized in order to achieve the best diagnostic results. Routine hip MR imaging includes a combination of T1-weighted and fluid-sensitive sequences, obtained in coronal, axial, and sagittal planes. MR arthrography of the hip can be used for assessment of intra-articular pathology involving intricate and signal-poor structures such as articular cartilage, labral fibrocartilage, and intra-articular bodies. Emerging quantitative MR imaging techniques such as T1ρ, T2 mapping, and delayed gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging of cartilage allow for the assessment of biochemical changes associated with cartilage degeneration and osteoarthritis.