Dear AuntMinnie Member,
If they gave out medals for doping, the competition would be fierce at this year's Olympic Games. Sadly, a record number of athletes in Athens have been stripped of medals or barred from competition after failing tests for performance-enhancing drugs like steroids.
But get beyond the rarefied world of Olympic competition and you'll find that steroids have their place in the treatment of sports-related injuries. However, steroids can also have deleterious effects on the human body when used improperly -- effects that can be detected by imaging modalities such as MRI.
An article in our 2004 Olympic Games RADCast section explores the use of MRI for assessing osteonecrosis, one of the more common steroid-related conditions. The article reviews recent literature, describing the common appearance of steroid-related osteonecrosis on MRI scans, and detailing some of the more useful sequences for osteonecrosis imaging.
You'll find the story, as well as an article on the use of imaging technology for veterinary applications, at olympics.auntminnie.com.
As the 28th Olympiad draws to a close, we hope you've enjoyed our coverage of the events and medical imaging's role in diagnosing sports-related injuries. Be sure to check back over the next few days for more stories and photos.
