Sports Injuries: Misinterpretations to Learn From

Athletes present with a variety of both common and specific injuries to the sports physician. For the imaging evaluation of such injuries, this poses special problems to avoid misinterpretations. While some sports injuries are not complicated, other are initially misdiagnosed, leading to possible secondary complications. Further, seemingly abnormal imaging findings in athletes can actually be normal physiological and mechanical phenomenons. Especially in young athletes, a variety of pitfalls are encountered at imaging, such as a focal periphyseal edema or a cortical desmoid. Good communication between the sports physician and the radiologist is paramount in reaching a fast and correct diagnosis in such cases.