Objective To analyze the clinical features and MRI findings of transient bone marrow edema syndrome of the hip (TBMES). Methods Retrospective analysis was performed in 15 patients with TBMES confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and follow-up. The clinical features and MRI findings of TBMES were observed. Results In terms of clinical features, all patients suffering from tenderness in inguinal area and activity limitation. Laboratory examination found that rheumatoid factors, blood and urine routine were normal. Among 15 cases, there were 13 cases of unilateral hip involvement, 12 cases with involvement of femoral head, neck and femoral intertrochanteric area. 7 cases with articular cavity effusion. The detection rate of MRI in TBMES was higher than that of X-ray film (P<0.05). MRI of proximal femoral lesions showed low signal on T1WI, high or slightly high signal on T2WI (12 cases) and high signal on T2WISTIR. MRI displayed that joint cavity effusion showed long T1 and long T2 signal. MRI showed that the muscle layers around the affected side of the hip joint were clear without abnormal signal. After 6 months of follow-up, the symptoms disappeared, and there was no recurrence found by MRI review. Conclusion The typical feature of TBMES is hip pain. The sensitivity of MRI in the diagnosis of TBMES is higher than that of X-ray. Correctly grasping the main features of TBMES is conducive to the diagnosis and identification.