Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging | NYU Langone Health

Skip to Main Content
Department of Radiology Divisions Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging

Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging

The Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging, part of the Department of Radiology at NYU Langone Health, provides comprehensive diagnostic and interventional imaging services for conditions affecting the bones, joints, and soft tissues, including orthopedic, rheumatologic, oncologic, and traumatic conditions.

Under the leadership of Jan Fritz, MD, chief of musculoskeletal imaging, our fellowship-trained musculoskeletal radiologists provide inpatient and outpatient consultations and bone and soft tissue imaging and imaging interpretation at NYU Langone’s Tisch Hospital, NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, NYU Langone Orthopedic Center, and Perlmutter Cancer Center, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, as well as at our many ambulatory practices in New York City and on Long Island.

Our world-renowned faculty are experts in diagnostic and interventional musculoskeletal radiology, publish regularly in prestigious peer-reviewed journals, and lecture at regional, national, and international musculoskeletal imaging and orthopedic meetings.

Musculoskeletal Imaging Education

Our Musculoskeletal Imaging Fellowship provides a well-rounded academic experience with subspecialty training in MRI scan, CT scan, ultrasound, and X-ray interpretation, as well as training in how to perform image-guided interventional procedures.

Residents and medical students also have training opportunities in the latest bone, joint, and soft tissue imaging techniques. Physicians who participate in our radiology residencies are integrated members of the musculoskeletal imaging team at Tisch Hospital, NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, NYU Langone Orthopedic Center, and Perlmutter Cancer Center, as well as Bellevue. As a resident, you develop expertise in interpreting diagnostic imaging studies for the evaluation of a wide spectrum of bone, joint, and soft tissue conditions.

At NYU Grossman School of Medicine, medical students have the option of participating in musculoskeletal imaging rotations during the musculoskeletal radiology elective and radiology selective course, as part of the MD curriculum. Through these experiences you gain an overview of common fractures and dislocations, injuries of the ligaments and tendons, and detection of metastatic cancer.

Musculoskeletal Imaging Research

We conduct translational and clinical musculoskeletal imaging research on orthopedic, rheumatologic, and oncological conditions including osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, femoroacetabular impingement, hip dysplasia, shoulder instability, bone cancer, and orthopedic hardware failure. Our members lead and participate in research investigations and collaborate with basic scientists and physicians from other medical specialties. Musculoskeletal imaging research opportunities are open to medical students, residents, and fellows with an interest in radiology.

Rapid High-Quality MRI Examinations of the Musculoskeletal System

Our expert team continues to optimize MRI protocols with cutting-edge MRI scanners, pulse sequences, and coil technologies. The symbiosis of highly trained MRI technologists, nurses, and fellowship-trained musculoskeletal radiologists ensure rapid MRI examinations with the highest diagnostic quality. Our clinical faculty, physician scientists, and researchers are world-renowned experts in optimizing existing and developing new musculoskeletal MRI techniques. Together with Facebook, we have developed revolutionary techniques that used artificial intelligence to reconstruct MR images with unprecedented image quality and diagnostic detail.

MRI Scans for Patients with Metal Implants

For many years, imaging services available to patients with metal orthopedic implants have been limited to radiography and nuclear imaging, which offer incomplete evaluation of the soft tissue structures surrounding the implant. Advances in the design of certain metal implants have resulted in a unique set of complications, many of which predominantly affect the joint capsule and surrounding musculotendinous structures.

Although MRI scans offer better delineation of osseous and soft tissue anatomy, the imaging method is subject to extensive artifacts and distortion when metallic implants are present. Our researchers are working to perfect imaging sequencing modifications to reduce artifacts and distortion, better determine the need for surgical interventions, and engage in preoperative planning that reduces operating time and complication rates. We hope to improve the quality of imaging for patients with metal implants, reduce scan times, and increase patient comfort.

Three-Dimensional MRI Scans of Joints

We use three-dimensional (3D) MRI techniques and MRI reconstructions in combination with conventional MRI, which provides unprecedented anatomical detail and improves the evaluation of patients with conditions such as hip dysplasia and shoulder instability. Using these techniques, we are able to create 3D models of joints to assess bony abnormalities and injuries that occur along joint surfaces, such as the acetabulum and femoral head for hip dysplasia and the glenoid and humeral head in shoulder instability.

Musculoskeletal Imaging Clinical Services

We work closely with an interdisciplinary team of specialists in orthopedic surgery, orthopedic oncology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and rheumatology to provide diagnostic imaging services using high-resolution MRI scans, low-dose CT scans, ultrasound imaging, and conventional radiography.

Our interventional musculoskeletal imaging services include image-guided biopsy of bone, soft tissues, and musculoskeletal lesions; radiation therapy for bone sarcoma; and CT and MRI arthrography. We also provide image-guided therapeutic injections for a variety of inflammatory joint conditions, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and bursitis and tendonitis, as well as for spinal conditions, including degenerative disc disease, neck pain, and spinal stenosis.