Use of a Small Car-Mounted Magnetic Resonance Imaging System for On-Field Screening for Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Humeral Capitellum

Abstract

Mobile magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using a car is a recent advancement in imaging technology. Specifically, a car-mounted mobile MRI system is expected to be used for medical check-ups; however, this is still in the research stage. This study demonstrated the practicality of a small car-mounted mobile MRI in on-field screening for osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the humeral capitellum. In the primary check-up, we screened the throwing elbows of 151 young baseball players using mobile MRI and ultrasonography. We definitively diagnosed OCD at the secondary check-up using X-ray photography and computed tomography or MRI. We investigated the sensitivity and specificity of mobile MRI and ultrasonography for OCD. Six patients were diagnosed with OCD. The sensitivity was 83.3% for mobile MRI and 66.7% for ultrasonography, with specificity of 99.3% vs. 100%, respectively. One patient was detected using ultrasonography but was missed by mobile MRI due to poor imaging quality at the first medical check-up. Following this false-negative case, we replaced a damaged radio frequency coil to improve the image quality, and the mobile MRI could detect all subsequent OCD cases. Two patients were diagnosed by mobile MRI only; ultrasonography missed cases lacking subchondral bone irregularity, such as a healing case, and an early-stage case. Mobile MRI could screen for OCD from the very early stages through the healing process and is therefore a practical tool for on-field screening.