“Black Bone” MRI: a potential alternative to X-ray with three-dimensional reconstruction for the diagnosis of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease

Motivation: Femoral head necrosis can be clearly displayed by Black Bone MRI. Goal(s): This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of MR imaging with Black Bone sequence in the lateral pillar classification and femoral head extrusion index of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) in children. Approach: The study included thirty-eight children with LCPD who underwent both X-ray and MR scans. The diagnostic performance of Black Bone MRI was assessed in comparison to X-ray. Results: The results showed that Black Bone had no significant difference in measuring the femoral head extrusion index compared to X-ray. For Herring classification, Black Bone MRI performed very well. Impact: Black Bone MRI can be used as a conventional sequence for the assessment of LCPD in children, allowing patients to avoid ionizing radiation.