Bone marrow edema: Meaning in a Radiology Report

Also written as: bone marrow edema-like signal, bone marrow oedema, bone bruise, bone contusion

Bone marrow edema means extra fluid inside a bone, seen as a bright patch on MRI. It often follows an injury or strain and usually settles with time.

What it means

Bone marrow is the soft tissue that fills the inside of bones. On some MRI images fluid looks bright, so extra fluid in the marrow shows up as a hazy bright patch. Edema means swelling from extra fluid. It shows that the bone is reacting to something, such as a knock, repeated strain or a nearby joint problem. It does not show on ordinary X-rays.

When it matters

After an injury it is usually a bone bruise, which heals by itself over weeks to months. Its pattern can point to a hidden injury nearby, such as a torn ligament. Without an injury, doctors think about overuse, a stress reaction, arthritis, or less often infection or a problem with blood supply. What happens next depends on the cause and your symptoms. A repeat MRI is sometimes used to check that it has settled.

Questions to ask your doctor

Does the pattern point to a bone bruise, overuse or something else?
Is there a fracture or ligament injury linked to it?
How long should it take to settle, and will I need a repeat MRI?

General information, not medical advice. What a finding means for you depends on your symptoms, your history and the images themselves, so talk your results through with a doctor.