Acute fracture of the distal tibial physis: role of gradient-echo MR imaging versus plain film examination.

Abstract

Gradient-echo MR imaging allowed easier assessment of fracture lines than did plain film radiography, but the latter technique remains the primary means of evaluating epiphyseal injuries. For acute fractures of the lower extremity of the tibia, gradient-echo MR imaging should be limited to complex fractures and to cases in which the classification of a fracture on the basis of plain film evaluation is uncertain.