The role of radiography and magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosis of slipped capital femoral epiphysis in children and adolescences

Background Slipped capital femoral epiphysis remains a diagnostic problem despite numerous papers written on the subject. Radiographic imaging is important in the confirmation of the diagnosis. Purpose Explore changes in the proximal femur at early clinical manifestations of slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) to further study patterns and localisation of pathological process. Material and methods The imaging findings from the conventional radiological and magnetic resonance examinations are presented, patterns of displacements and structural abnormalities in the proximal femur described. Results MRI is the most informative imaging modality for detecting SCFE at early stages. Conclusion In our opinion MRI can be used to detect and predict a slip of the femoral head.