Evaluation of disorders of children, adolescents, and adults without prostheses.

Hip arthrography is performed in order to visualize the structures which cannot be appreciated on plain films: the capsule, the synovium, and the articular cartilages. In infants and children, this contrast study also permits visualization of the cartilaginous portion of the femoral head and acetabulum. The prepubertal presence of these unossified structures makes the arthrogram relatively more informative in children than in adults.