Imaging the ankle and foot and using magnetic resonance imaging

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has improved the possibility of evaluating musculoskeletal structures thus gaining an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of foot and ankle pathologies. In this review, the normal and pathological images of the ankle and foot obtained using MR techniques are presented and discussed. The high soft-tissue contrast resolution and the multiplanar sections of MRI allow the imaging of contiguous tissues where small contrast differences exist, such as ligamentous and tendinous injuries or impingement syndromes. The spatial resolution with high sensitivity for bone signal changes offers an early detection of osseous abnormalities such as stress fractures or osteonecrosis. Here it is specified possibilities and limitations of MRI in the diabetic foot: this technique is superior to nuclear medicine and computed tomography (CT), however it is unable to distinguish between neuro arthropathy and infection.