MRI has a "distinct advantage" over standard radiography in detecting hip or pelvic fractures among elderly patients brought to an emergency room for care, according to a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, found that the newly detected fractures can help steer patients to the appropriate medical and surgical therapy and, thus, possibly avoid hip replacement. The lead author of the study is Dr. Matthew Kirby (AJR, April 2010, Vol. 194:4, pp. 1054-1060).

Continued on Aunt Minnie