Fig. 12.
Visibility of subchondral insufficiency fracture (SIF) in a BME-like area. a–c On T1-weighted MR images (a), the fracture can be masked by the neighboring low signal intensity, while on fat-suppressed T2-weighted (b) or T2-weighted images (c) the fracture is apparent (arrowheads), contrasting with the surrounding high signal. In this case of SIF, BME-like high signal intensity is present on both sides of the fracture, including the area between the latter and the articular surface, corresponding to the area with infiltrated but a not degraded fatty marrow. Note that the fracture line does not completely isolate this subchondral area. The potential for this SIF to heal was confirmed by a follow-up study a few months later showing normalization (d)