MR imaging of the forefoot: normal anatomic findings

The MR imaging anatomy of the ankle has been well described. The anatomy of the forefoot, however, is not well understood by most radiologists. In many institutions, MR imaging studies are performed by using the head coil with large fields of view so that the appearance of the asymptomatic side can be used for comparison. At our institution, studies of the forefoot are performed with a specialized solenoid coil that allows a field of view of 8 cm with a resultant in-plane spatial resolution of approximately 0.3-0.4 mm. In this report, we present the MR imaging anatomy of the normal forefoot. Pertinent osseous, musculotendinous, and neurovascular structures are shown. Particular emphasis is placed on the compartmental anatomy of the foot, which is best imaged in the coronal plane.