Metal Artifact Reduction MR Imaging After Arthroplasty: Advances and Clinical Applications

Total joint arthroplasty was an effective treatment for end-stage joint diseases, with rapid increasement and widely applied in clinical practice. Periprosthetic joint infection remains the most severe periprosthetic complications. MRI is the preferred imaging modality for evaluating musculoskeletal infections. However, conventional MRI in post-joint arthroplasty patients was significantly hindered by severe prothesis-induced artifacts, limiting the assessment of periprosthetic structures. Metal artifact reduction imaging has been developed to mitigate metal artifacts and enhance visualization of periprosthetic tissues, improving the detection and characterization of periprosthetic complications. This review systematically examines the advancements in metal artifact reduction imaging and its clinical applications in the assessment of periprosthetic complications.