Musculoskeletal system

There are many pitfalls in musculoskeletal imaging that may lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. In the authors’ experience, of great importance are the benign lesions that can mimic malignancy. Additionally, there are several anatomic variants that may be seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or MR arthrography (MRA) studies of the joints which are routinely performed in the evaluation of internal derangement. These can mimic pathologic findings and mislead an inexperienced radiologist or orthopedic surgeon. This chapter is divided into two sections in which diagnostic pitfalls in musculoskeletal imaging that can lead to misdiagnosis and sometimes unnecessary interventions are discussed. These include benign bone lesions that can mimic malignancy and anatomic variants on the MRI or MRA of the imaged shoulder, knee, and ankle joints that can be misinterpreted as pathologic findings.