Imaging of Osteoarthritis of the Hip

Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease process that impacts the aging population. OA of the hip is the result of degeneration of the articular cartilage, underlying bone and soft tissue structures. Radiography is the first-line modality for imaging OA. Radiographic assessment includes imaging features of joint space narrowing, sclerosis, osteophytes, and bony deformities. CT can provide detailed evaluation of the hip with multiplanar reformats. MRI can assess bone marrow signal, articular cartilage damage, and labral abnormalities. Other disease process may appear similar or present concurrently with OA, such as osteonecrosis, rapidly progressive arthritis, and inflammatory and infectious arthropathies.