Dear Colleagues,

By distending the articular cavity with the injection of diluted contrast material, arthrography allows for the identification and fine evaluation of small anatomic structures located inside the articular cavity. Magnetic resonance arthrography (MRA) has been widely used in the past because of its intrinsic high contrast resolution.

However, MRI is a relatively long and expensive procedure that is not always suitable because of absolute or relative contraindications. In addition, MRA image quality could be altered by metal artifacts, often affecting previously operated articulations.

In comparison, computed tomography arthrography (CTA) is a cheaper and faster exam that is virtually free from motion artifacts. CT allows us to obtain high-resolution images for the evaluation of bony structures. Moreover, with the advent of modern scanners, radiation burden does not represent a problem in the adult population.

Computed tomography arthrography (CTA) has been successfully used for diagnosing glenohumeral joint cartilages, labral lesions, and rotator cuff tears. In particular, CTA of the shoulder can be considered comparable with regards to the identification of superior labrum lesions and full-thickness rotator cuff tears and represents a more reliable imaging tool for the evaluation of glenoid rim fractures and inferior glenohumeral ligament injuries. Moreover, CTA is a powerful tool for the evaluation of operated shoulders. Additionally, in the case of shoulder dislocation, CT allows the assessment of glenoid bone loss.

In the hip, CTA has been proposed for the diagnosis of labrum and cartilage lesions. Thanks to isotropic images and high spatial resolution, CTA can be used to identify subtle cartilage defects in the femoral head or the acetabular roof. Finally, CTA is accurate in depicting intra-articular loose bodies and for the measurement of femoral and acetabular angles.

In the knee, CTA can be used to diagnose subtle menisci rupture and dissection OCLs.

In the wrist, ankle, and elbow, CTA can be proposed because of its high spatial resolution.

Moreover, dual-energy CT (DECT) has recently been proposed in musculoskeletal imaging to increase tissue contrast and reduce metal artifacts; potential advantages in CTA are the use of virtual non-calcium images for the detection of bone marrow edema, or the use of monoenergetic images for image contrast optimization and metal artifact reduction. Additionally, virtual non-contrast images can be used to remove contrast material to focus on the assessment of bony structures.

For these reasons, dual-energy CTA could increase the overall diagnostic accuracy with respect to standard CTA.

Dr. Giovanni Foti
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Tomography is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• arthrography
• computed tomography
• cone beam
• dual energy
• shoulder
• elbow
• wrist
• hip
• knee
• ankle
• osteo-chondral lesions
• dislocation
• SLAP
• bankart
• FAI (femoro-acetabular impingement)
• cartilage
• menisci
• Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Injury (TFCC)
• loose bodies.