RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the wrist joint of coal miners who work in excavation and vibration department.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-three coal miners with the hand-arm vibration disease served as the observation group while 20 workers who were not working in the vibration department acted as the control group. The patients in the observation group were divided into five subgroups according to the time when they received vibration. The regularity of the development of signs and symptoms of MRI was observed and analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The hydroarthrosis was most found in MRI. There were significant difference in hydroarthrosis (chi(2) = 8.80, P < 0.01), osteoporosis and osteomyelitis (chi(2) = 3.91, chi(2) = 5.01, P < 0.05 respectively) between the observation group and the control group. The edema of bone marrow and the avascular necrosis of ossa carpi were found only in the observation group and not found in the control group. The hydroarthrosis and the edema of bone marrow occurred most in the early stage of vibration. The signal in the edema of the bone marrow of the distal end of the radius was decreased in the GE sequence T(2)WI with the specificity.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>(1) Changes in the wrist joint occur in the early stage of the vibration work, and can be found in the MRI. (2) The edema of the bone marrow of the distal end of the radius is of great value in the diagnosis of the hand-arm vibration disease.</p>