What is an Arthrogram?
An Arthrogram is a diagnostic test, used to examine the inside of a joint, such as a shoulder, knee, wrist or ankle.
What happens during the procedure?
You will be given an injection of local anaesthetic to numb the skin. A contrast medium is then injected into the area to be scanned in order to outline soft tissue structures inside your joint (e.g. ligaments and cartilage). The Radiologist uses video x-rays to guide the injection into your joint. The injection of dye only takes 10-15 minutes.
Following the injection, you will have a MRI scan, which produces high-resolution images of your joint. This will take about 45 minutes.
An MRI scan without the use of a contrast agent provides information about joint and tissue structures, however the use of the contrast agent provides much clearer images and may provide more information about what is wrong with the joint.
After the procedure
You are advised to rest the affected area for the remainder of the day, driving and manual labour should be avoided. This decreases the likelihood of experiencing pain the next day.