A systematic review of imaging modalities in the diagnosis of greater trochanteric pain syndrome.

OBJECTIVES To identify the most effective imaging modality in the investigation of greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS). METHODS A narrative review of the available literature was conducted. A total of 326 studies were identified by a literature search, ten of which were included for review. Seven studies investigated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), one ultrasound scan (USS), one plain radiography and one bone scintigraphy. RESULTS On analysis, MRI was found consistently to have the highest correlation with clinical and intraoperative findings. USS and plain radiography provided encouraging results. However, conclusions drawn from this were limited by the paucity of data. CONCLUSIONS The study provided encouraging results, although conclusions drawn from them were limited by the paucity of data. We believe that MRI should be the current investigation of choice for GTPS. However, further study is required in the form of multicentre, randomized controlled trials to confirm the validity of the conclusions presented here.