MRI Hip Scan in Delhi 2026 — AVN, Labral Tear & Cost

If your doctor has advised an MRI of the hip, there is usually a specific worry behind it — and very often that worry is avascular necrosis. This is the one scan where timing genuinely changes the outcome: an MRI can show AVN of the femoral head months to years before a plain X-ray turns abnormal, and in that window the hip can often still be saved.

This guide explains what an MRI hip actually shows, why an X-ray is not enough, how AVN is staged and why the stage decides the treatment, what else the scan is used for, and how to make sense of the report you will be given.

Why an X-ray is not enough for hip pain

A plain X-ray of the hip is a reasonable first test and it answers some questions well. It shows the bony outline, obvious fractures, joint space narrowing from established arthritis, and advanced collapse of the femoral head. Our digital X-ray guide explains what the technique can do.

But an X-ray has a fundamental blind spot: it only shows bone once the bone’s mineral structure has already changed. In avascular necrosis, the blood supply to the femoral head is cut off and the bone dies, but for a considerable period the dead bone still has the same density as living bone. The X-ray looks completely normal. By the time it finally looks abnormal, the bone has often already begun to collapse — and at that point the surgical options have narrowed dramatically.

An X-ray also cannot see the structures that cause a great deal of hip pain in younger people: the labrum, the cartilage surface, the tendons around the joint, the bursae, and the bone marrow itself.

MRI sees all of it. It images bone marrow directly, so it detects the very earliest marrow changes of AVN. It shows cartilage and labrum. It shows fluid, oedema, inflammation and infection. And it does so without any ionising radiation. Our comparison of MRI versus CT explains where each modality wins.

Avascular necrosis of the hip: the main reason this scan is ordered

Avascular necrosis — also called AVN, osteonecrosis, or ischaemic necrosis of the femoral head — happens when the blood supply to the ball of the hip joint is interrupted. The femoral head has a precarious blood supply at the best of times, fed largely by vessels running along the neck of the femur, with little in the way of a backup route. Interrupt them and a segment of bone dies.

Dead bone does not immediately look different. But it loses its ability to repair the microscopic damage of everyday loading. Over months, microfractures accumulate under the cartilage. Eventually a crack forms just beneath the joint surface, the surface loses its support, and the round head of the femur flattens or collapses. Once the head is no longer round, the joint is mechanically ruined and arthritis follows quickly.

The entire clinical strategy is to intervene before collapse. That is why the MRI is ordered, and why it is often ordered urgently in someone with a known risk factor and new hip or groin pain.

What causes AVN of the hip

Corticosteroids. One of the commonest non-traumatic causes — whether taken as tablets, injections, or in high doses over a short period. After the widespread use of corticosteroids in the treatment of severe COVID-19, orthopaedic surgeons across India reported a marked increase in steroid-associated osteonecrosis of the hip. If you received steroids for any serious illness and now have new groin or hip pain, that history is directly relevant and you should tell your doctor.
Alcohol, particularly sustained heavy intake.
Trauma — a fracture of the femoral neck or a hip dislocation can tear the blood supply mechanically.
Sickle cell disease and other haemoglobinopathies.
Systemic lupus erythematosus and other autoimmune diseases, often compounded by the steroids used to treat them.
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Renal transplantation and other transplant settings.
Caisson disease — decompression sickness in divers.
Pregnancy, rarely.
Gaucher disease and certain storage disorders.
Idiopathic — in a meaningful proportion, no cause is ever identified.

Why both hips are scanned even when only one hurts

This surprises most patients, and it is one of the most important things on this page. Non-traumatic AVN is frequently bilateral. When the cause is systemic — steroids, alcohol, sickle cell, lupus — the insult affects both femoral heads, but one side becomes painful earlier than the other.

The silent side is often at an earlier stage, which means it is precisely the side where joint-preserving treatment has the best chance of working. Finding it before it hurts is a genuine clinical win. This is why a proper AVN protocol includes coronal images covering both hips, even when the request mentions only one.

If your scan has been booked for one hip only and you have a systemic risk factor, it is worth asking your doctor whether both should be covered.

ARCO staging: what the stage in your report means

AVN is staged so that surgeons can compare like with like and choose treatment rationally. The most widely used current system is the ARCO classification (Association Research Circulation Osseous), which revised and simplified the older Ficat-Arlet system. Your report may use either name.

The logic of the staging is simple once you see it — it tracks a single question: has the femoral head begun to collapse?

Stage 1 — MRI positive, X-ray normal. The bone is dead but structurally intact. This is the stage only MRI can find, and the stage where joint-preserving treatment has the best outlook.
Stage 2 — changes visible on X-ray, but no collapse. Sclerosis, cysts or lucencies appear. The head is still round.
Stage 3 — subchondral fracture, with or without flattening of the head. This is the turning point. The classic sign is the crescent sign, a thin curved line of fracture just under the joint surface. Stage 3 is usually subdivided by how much the head has depressed — a smaller depression carries a better outlook than a larger one.
Stage 4 — established osteoarthritis. The head is deformed, the joint space is narrowed, and the socket is now involved too.

Two further details from your report also matter to the surgeon: how much of the femoral head is involved (expressed as a percentage or as a location), and where the dead segment sits. Necrosis in the weight-bearing part of the head behaves far worse than the same volume tucked away in a non-loaded area.

Why this matters in practical terms: early-stage disease may be managed with measures aimed at saving the joint, such as core decompression, while advanced collapse generally leads towards hip replacement. Treatment decisions are entirely your orthopaedic surgeon’s to make — but they depend on the stage, and the stage depends on the MRI being done early enough.

The signs a radiologist looks for

Double line sign — on T2-weighted images, a dark outer line and a bright inner line marking the boundary between dead and living bone. This is the classic MRI signature of AVN.
Serpentine or geographic subchondral lesion — a wavy, well-demarcated area in the superior part of the femoral head.
Bone marrow oedema — bright signal on fluid-sensitive sequences, often appearing as the lesion becomes symptomatic.
Subchondral fracture line — the crescent sign, indicating structural failure has begun.
Loss of sphericity — flattening of the normally round head.
Joint effusion and synovitis — reactive fluid and lining inflammation.

What else an MRI hip is used for

AVN dominates the referrals, but the scan answers many other questions.

Labral tears

The labrum is a rim of fibrocartilage around the socket that deepens and seals the joint. A tear causes groin pain, clicking or catching, a sense of the hip giving way, and pain on deep flexion or rotation — classically in younger adults, dancers, footballers and people who squat or sit cross-legged for long periods. A labral tear is invisible on X-ray. MRI shows it, and may show an associated paralabral cyst — fluid tracking out through the tear, which is a useful indirect clue.

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI)

Here the bony shapes themselves cause the damage. In cam morphology the femoral head-neck junction is not properly waisted, so a bump jams against the socket rim on flexion. In pincer morphology the socket over-covers the head. Many people have both. The repeated impingement shears the labrum and the adjacent cartilage. MRI shows the bony morphology, the labral damage and the cartilage loss together, which is exactly what a hip surgeon needs before considering arthroscopy.

Occult fracture of the femoral neck

An elderly person falls, cannot weight-bear, and the X-ray looks normal. This is a genuinely dangerous situation, because an undisplaced femoral neck fracture that is missed can displace and destroy the blood supply. MRI detects these fractures when the X-ray cannot, and it does so reliably within hours.

Stress fractures

Athletes, dancers, military and police recruits, and people who have suddenly increased their training can develop stress fractures of the femoral neck or the pubic bone. MRI shows marrow oedema before any fracture line appears on X-ray.

Transient osteoporosis of the hip

This deserves emphasis because it is the most important thing AVN gets confused with. Transient osteoporosis — sometimes called transient bone marrow oedema syndrome — causes sudden severe hip pain, typically in pregnancy or in middle-aged men. On MRI it shows extensive marrow oedema that can look alarming. But it is self-limiting and resolves on its own over several months, whereas AVN progresses. The distinction rests on specific MRI features, including the absence of the double line sign and the pattern of oedema. Getting it wrong in either direction leads to the wrong treatment, which is why these scans need reporting by a radiologist familiar with the pattern.

Infection — septic arthritis and osteomyelitis

MRI shows joint fluid, marrow signal change, soft tissue collections and abscesses, and tracks their extent. This is one of the situations where intravenous contrast is genuinely useful; see contrast MRI (CEMRI).

Tumours and metastases

Primary bone tumours and secondary deposits in the pelvis and proximal femur, their soft tissue component, and their relationship to nerves and vessels.

Tendon and muscle problems

Gluteal tendinopathy and abductor tendon tears (a very common and often-missed cause of lateral hip pain in women over 40), trochanteric bursitis, iliopsoas tendinopathy and bursitis, hamstring origin tears, and adductor or athletic groin injuries.

Paediatric hip conditions

Perthes disease, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, and irritable hip in children, where MRI avoids radiation to a growing child.

MRI hip versus MRI pelvis: which one has your doctor asked for?

These overlap but they are not the same study, and booking the wrong one wastes a visit.

An MRI hip is a focused, higher-resolution study of the hip joint itself — the femoral head and neck, the acetabulum, the labrum, the cartilage and the immediately surrounding tendons. It uses a smaller field of view, so the detail in the joint is much better.

An MRI pelvis covers the whole pelvic cavity at a wider field of view — the pelvic organs, the sacrum and sacroiliac joints, pelvic soft tissues and both hips in less detail. It is the study for pelvic masses, gynaecological and urological questions, and sacral pathology. Our MRI pelvis page covers that study.

For AVN screening of both hips, a dedicated bilateral hip protocol is used rather than a general pelvis study. If your pain is in the lower back or buttock rather than the groin, the right study may be an MRI of the spine or a CT of the sacroiliac joints instead — our page on back pain, sciatica and when an MRI is needed helps sort this out.

A useful rule of thumb: true hip joint pain is usually felt in the groin and may radiate to the front of the thigh or the knee. Pain on the outer side of the hip is more often tendon or bursa. Pain in the buttock is more often spine or sacroiliac joint. Where you feel it should guide which scan is ordered.

How the scan is performed

An MRI hip is straightforward and involves no injection in most cases.

Safety screening. You complete a form about implants, devices, surgery and metal. This is the most important step of the whole appointment — see the next section.
Changing. You change into a gown and leave all metal, cards and electronics in a locker. Even small metal fasteners near the hip cause artefact.
Positioning. You lie on your back, feet first, with your legs straight and often lightly strapped to stop them rolling outwards. A coil is placed over the hip region.
Sequences. A series of acquisitions, each a few minutes long, is run. For a hip these typically include coronal and axial fluid-sensitive sequences, T1-weighted images, and dedicated oblique planes along the femoral neck when FAI or a labral tear is the question. For AVN, coronal coverage of both hips is included.
Staying still. You will hear loud knocking and buzzing. Earplugs or headphones are provided. There is no sensation from the magnet itself.
Contrast, only if needed. Most hip MRIs are plain. If contrast is required, a cannula is placed and gadolinium is injected partway through.

Expect roughly 20 to 40 minutes in the scanner, longer if both hips, contrast, or additional sequences are needed. Lying still is the single biggest determinant of image quality. Movement blurs exactly the fine detail — cartilage, labrum, a hairline fracture — that the scan was ordered to find.

Safety screening: what you must declare before an MRI

An MRI uses a very strong, permanently-on magnetic field. Unlike CT, the concern is not radiation — it is metal and electronics. Declare all of the following, every time, without waiting to be asked:

Cardiac pacemaker, implanted defibrillator or loop recorder.
Cochlear implant or any implanted hearing device.
Aneurysm clips or coils in the brain.
Any implanted pump or stimulator — insulin pump, spinal cord stimulator, deep brain stimulator, nerve stimulator.
Metal implants from previous surgery — plates, screws, rods, joint replacements, spinal implants, dental implants.
Metallic foreign body, particularly any history of a metal fragment injury to the eye, or shrapnel.
Heart valve replacement or vascular stents.
Permanent eye or body tattoos and permanent makeup, some of which contain metallic pigment.
Intrauterine device (IUD).
Pregnancy, especially in the first trimester.
Kidney disease, if contrast may be used.
Claustrophobia, so it can be planned for rather than discovered inside the scanner.

Most modern orthopaedic implants are MRI-safe, but they are not artefact-free, and the scanner settings may need adjusting. Carry your implant card or the operation notes if you have them. The honest position is that a declared implant is a manageable problem; an undeclared one is a safety risk.

If you already have a hip replacement

MRI around a metal prosthesis is limited by artefact. The metal distorts the local magnetic field and creates a bloom of signal loss that can obscure precisely the area of interest. Metal-suppression techniques help, but for many questions around a replaced hip — loosening, periprosthetic fracture, component position — a CT of the bone and joint or plain radiographs may be more informative. Tell the centre at the time of booking so the right study is planned.

If closed MRI makes you anxious

The hip sits well inside the bore of a conventional scanner, so a hip MRI means going fairly deep into the tunnel. For people who find that unbearable, this is a real obstacle rather than a minor inconvenience — and an abandoned scan helps nobody.

An open or wide-bore scanner removes most of that problem by replacing the tunnel with a far more open configuration. Our pages on open MRI in Delhi and choosing an open MRI centre explain the trade-offs honestly, and open MRI versus closed MRI compares them directly.

Practical measures that genuinely help: book the first slot of the day, bring someone to stay in the room with you, keep your eyes closed from before you enter the bore, use the music headphones, and keep the call button in your hand. Tell the staff beforehand — they can pace the scan in shorter blocks.

Preparation: what to do before your MRI hip

No fasting for a plain MRI hip. Eat and drink normally.
Take your usual medicines.
Complete the safety form carefully, and bring implant documentation if you have any.
Bring previous imaging — X-rays, CT, earlier MRIs, and their reports. For AVN in particular, comparison with a previous scan tells the surgeon whether the disease is progressing.
Bring the prescription, and if the clinical history is written on it, do not lose it. Knowing you had three months of high-dose steroids changes how the images are read.
Wear simple clothing with no metal, though you will likely change into a gown anyway.
Arrive a little early so screening is unhurried.
If contrast may be needed, bring a recent kidney function report.

Reading your MRI hip report: a plain-English glossary

Bone marrow oedema — fluid within bone marrow, appearing bright on fluid-sensitive sequences. A sign of active stress, injury, inflammation or infection. Non-specific on its own; the pattern is what matters.
Double line sign — the characteristic dark-and-bright paired line at the margin of an AVN lesion.
Subchondral — just beneath the cartilage surface.
Crescent sign — a curved subchondral fracture line; indicates structural failure has started.
Loss of sphericity / flattening — the femoral head is no longer round.
Effusion — excess fluid within the joint.
Synovitis — inflammation and thickening of the joint lining.
Labral tear — a tear in the fibrocartilage rim of the socket. Reports may describe it as anterosuperior, which is the commonest site.
Paralabral cyst — a fluid collection beside the labrum, usually indicating a tear.
Cam morphology — loss of the normal waisting at the head-neck junction.
Pincer morphology — the socket over-covers the head.
Alpha angle — a measurement describing the head-neck contour; a raised value supports cam-type impingement.
Chondral thinning / chondral loss — thinning or loss of the cartilage surface.
Tendinosis — degenerative change in a tendon without a full tear.
Trochanteric bursitis — inflammation of the bursa over the bony prominence on the outer hip.
Enthesopathy — change where a tendon attaches to bone.
Transient osteoporosis / transient bone marrow oedema syndrome — a self-limiting cause of marrow oedema that must be distinguished from AVN.

One caution worth stating plainly: MRI is extremely sensitive, and it finds things that are not causing your symptoms. Minor labral fraying, small amounts of fluid, mild tendon change and incidental cysts are all common in people with no pain at all. A finding only matters when it fits your symptoms and your examination. Take the report back to the doctor who ordered it rather than acting on any single line in it.

After the scan

There is nothing to recover from after a plain MRI. You can drive, eat and return to work immediately. If contrast was given, drink water normally for the rest of the day and mention any rash or delayed symptom to your doctor.

Two practical things matter more than people realise. First, collect a digital copy of the images, not just the printed report — your orthopaedic surgeon will want to scroll through the sequences, measure the lesion and look at the planes themselves. Second, keep it. If AVN is diagnosed, this scan becomes the baseline against which every future scan is compared, and progression over time is what drives the decision about surgery.

What an MRI hip scan costs in Delhi

The price of an MRI hip in Delhi depends on real variables: whether one hip or both are being imaged, whether the study is plain or needs contrast, whether additional oblique sequences for labral or FAI assessment are included, the scanner and protocol used, whether a radiologist’s report and a digital copy are included, and whether you need it urgently or outside normal hours.

Because of that we do not publish a fixed figure on this page that might be out of date by the time you read it, or that might not match what your prescription actually asks for. The quickest way to get an accurate, all-inclusive number is to send us a photo of your prescription on WhatsApp. You will get today’s actual price for exactly the study your doctor has specified — one hip or both, plain or contrast, report included — along with the next available slot, before you travel.

Send your prescription on WhatsApp for today’s MRI hip price → | Call 9555999960

For a wider view across MRI studies, see our MRI scan cost in Delhi page.

Getting an MRI hip scan in West Delhi

At Edge Imaging & Diagnostics, a NABH-accredited diagnostic centre in Paschim Vihar, West Delhi, an MRI hip is performed with dedicated joint sequences rather than a general pelvis protocol, with bilateral coronal coverage included when AVN is the clinical question, and reported by a radiologist rather than returned as images alone.

Practical points worth knowing when you book:

Tell us if AVN is suspected, and mention any steroid history. It changes the protocol — both hips get covered, and fluid-sensitive sequences are prioritised.
Open MRI is available if closed scanners are a problem for you.
Everything under one roof — MRI, CT, digital X-ray, ultrasound and pathology in the same building, so a multi-test prescription does not mean multiple journeys.
Bring your old films. For AVN, progression over time is often more decisive than any single scan.
Open on Sunday — see our Sunday diagnostic centre page.
CGHS and DGHS empanelled — details on our empanelment page.
Where patients travel from — Paschim Vihar, Rajouri Garden, Tagore Garden, Punjabi Bagh, Janakpuri, Tilak Nagar, Vikas Puri, Moti Nagar, Nangloi and Raghubir Nagar. See our West Delhi diagnostic centre and Rajouri Garden pages.
If the knee is also involved, our pages on the MRI knee scan and when knee pain needs an MRI may help.

Frequently asked questions

Is an MRI hip scan painful?

No. There is no injection for a plain MRI hip and no sensation from the magnet. The only discomfort is lying still on your back for 20 to 40 minutes, and the noise, for which earplugs or headphones are provided. If contrast is needed there is one cannula in the arm.

Why has my doctor ordered an MRI when my hip X-ray was normal?

Because a normal X-ray does not exclude the conditions that most often cause hip pain in the absence of arthritis. Early avascular necrosis, occult fractures, stress fractures, labral tears, cartilage loss and tendon tears are all invisible on X-ray. In AVN specifically, the X-ray stays normal until the dead bone has already started to fail structurally — which is exactly the point you want to get ahead of.

How early can MRI detect AVN?

Much earlier than X-ray. MRI images bone marrow directly, so it can show the characteristic changes of osteonecrosis while the bone is still structurally intact and the X-ray is completely normal. That stage is the one where joint-preserving options are most likely to be considered, which is why the scan should not be delayed when there is a clear risk factor and new hip pain.

Why is the MRI covering both hips when only one is painful?

Because non-traumatic AVN is frequently bilateral. When the underlying cause is systemic — steroids, alcohol, sickle cell disease, lupus — both femoral heads are affected, but one becomes painful before the other. The silent side is often at an earlier, more treatable stage, so finding it is a genuine benefit rather than an added cost.

I took steroids during COVID and now my hip hurts. Should I be scanned?

Discuss it with your doctor promptly rather than waiting. Corticosteroid exposure is one of the commonest causes of non-traumatic AVN, and an increase in steroid-associated osteonecrosis was widely reported in India after severe COVID-19 was treated with steroids. New groin or hip pain in that context is a recognised reason to image early. Make sure your doctor knows the dose and duration you received.

Do I need to fast before an MRI hip?

No, not for a plain study. Eat, drink and take your usual medicines normally. If your doctor has specifically asked for a contrast MRI, the centre will tell you whether any preparation is needed when you book.

How long does an MRI hip take?

Usually 20 to 40 minutes in the scanner. Longer if both hips are imaged, if contrast is given, or if extra sequences for labral assessment are added. Allow around an hour for the whole appointment including screening and changing.

Does an MRI hip use radiation?

No. MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves, with no ionising radiation at all. That is one reason it is preferred in children, in young adults, and for repeated follow-up scans.

Can I have an MRI if I have metal implants or a joint replacement?

Often yes, but it must be declared and planned. Most modern orthopaedic implants are MRI-safe, though they create artefact that can obscure nearby structures. Pacemakers, cochlear implants, certain aneurysm clips and implanted pumps need specific checks and may be a reason to choose a different study. Bring your implant card or operation notes, and tell the centre when you book — not when you arrive.

I have a hip replacement. Will an MRI show what is wrong?

It may be limited. Metal distorts the local magnetic field and creates a bloom of artefact right where the problem usually is. Metal-suppression techniques help, but for questions such as loosening, component position or periprosthetic fracture, a CT or plain radiographs are often more informative. Tell the centre at booking so the appropriate study is arranged.

I am claustrophobic. Can I still have a hip MRI?

Yes. Say so when you book rather than discovering it inside the scanner. An open or wide-bore scanner removes most of the enclosure, and practical measures help a great deal — an early morning slot, a companion in the room, eyes closed before entering, music headphones and the call button in your hand. An abandoned scan helps nobody, so it is worth planning for properly.

Will I need contrast for my MRI hip?

Usually not. Most hip MRIs, including those for AVN, labral tears and fractures, are done plain. Contrast is added mainly when infection, a tumour, or a post-surgical problem is suspected. Your doctor’s prescription decides.

What is the difference between an MRI hip and an MRI pelvis?

An MRI hip is a focused, higher-resolution study of the hip joint itself, using a small field of view to show the labrum, cartilage, femoral head and surrounding tendons in detail. An MRI pelvis covers the whole pelvic cavity at a wider field of view for pelvic organs, the sacrum and sacroiliac joints, with both hips shown in less detail. They answer different questions, so book the one your prescription names.

My report says bone marrow oedema. Is that AVN?

Not necessarily. Bone marrow oedema simply means fluid within the marrow, and it occurs in stress reaction, fracture, infection, inflammatory arthritis, early osteoarthritis and transient osteoporosis of the hip as well as in AVN. The pattern, the presence or absence of a double line sign, and the clinical context are what separate them. This is a line to discuss with your doctor rather than to interpret alone.

My report mentions a labral tear but my pain is on the outer side of the hip. Does that fit?

Often it does not. True hip joint problems, including labral tears, usually cause groin pain that may radiate to the front of the thigh or even the knee. Pain on the outer side of the hip more commonly comes from the gluteal tendons or the trochanteric bursa. MRI frequently finds minor labral changes in people without symptoms, so the finding has to match the clinical picture. Point this out to your doctor.

Can an MRI hip diagnose arthritis?

It can show cartilage loss, marrow changes, effusion and synovitis in detail, and it can find early cartilage damage before an X-ray does. For established arthritis, however, a weight-bearing X-ray is usually sufficient and is what most orthopaedic surgeons use for planning. MRI adds most where the X-ray is normal but the hip is clearly not.

How soon will I get the report?

Ask when you book. At our centre a routine MRI hip report is normally available the same day, with urgent studies reported faster. Carry a digital copy of the images to your orthopaedic appointment, not just the printed report.

Should my follow-up MRI be at the same centre?

Where practical, yes. In AVN the decision about surgery often rests on whether the lesion has progressed, and that comparison is most reliable when the protocol, planes and measurement technique are consistent and the reporting radiologist has the previous images in front of them.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Nishant Thapar, Consultant Radiologist and Founder, Edge Imaging & Diagnostics, West Delhi. Last reviewed: October 2026.

Disclaimer: This article is general patient information and does not replace a consultation. MRI findings must always be interpreted together with your symptoms, examination and other tests by the doctor treating you. Staging systems and the treatment options mentioned here are described for understanding only; all treatment decisions, including any surgery, belong to your treating orthopaedic surgeon. Do not start, stop or change any treatment on the basis of this page. MRI safety decisions about implants and devices must be made by the centre and your doctor using your actual implant documentation.