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Table 2 Simplified grading systems for BS and MRI

From: Estimation of return-to-sports-time for athletes with stress fracture – an approach combining risk level of fracture site with severity based on imaging

 

Bone scintigraphy findings

MRI findings

Low-grade stress fracture

Irregular uptake and/or a poorly defined area of increased activity, compared with the contralateral side

Bone marrow edema in STIR images, possibly in T2-weighted images

High-grade stress fracture

Sharply marginated area of increased activity, compared to the other side, usually focal or fusiform in shape

Bone marrow edema in T1- and T2-weighted image with or without a fracture line

  1. Modified after Chisin et. al [8]. and Arendt et. al. [5].