Imaging of the Ankle and Foot

 

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Knowledge about ankle and foot imaging has increased in the last 10 years. New concepts in anatomy and their relevance to maintaining normal biomechanics of the foot and ankle have emerged recently, requiring radiologists to provide more detailed information in their reports, so accurate treatment, conservative or surgical, can be planned.

The issue begins with new concepts on ankle and foot sprain injuries. Alvaro Cerezal and colleagues describe ankle instability and how formerly overlooked injuries can influence patient outcome and lead to medial and rotatory instability. The accompanying exquisite drawings along with high-resolution images are very helpful.

Inge C.J. Koetser and colleagues review midtarsal sprain. Although ankle sprain has been studied extensively in clinical and radiologic studies, midtarsal sprain did not receive the same attention. But it is more frequent than previously thought and should not be overlooked.

This issue also reviews the complications of ankle sprain. Thomas Armstrong et al summarize impingement syndromes. Important complications of ankle sprain are osteochondral injuries on the talar dome. From the old scheme of Berndt and Harty, new consensus classifications have emerged with greater clinical and surgical correlations. Logan P. Haug and colleagues propose a practical guideline on how to deal with these frequent lesions from a clinical perspective. Bone stress injuries are particularly frequent in the lower extremity especially in athletes. Dr. Jungmann and Dr. Schaeffeler will review MRI diagnosis and how to differentiate stress reaction from fractures, as well as the different prognostic factors.

Müeller-Weiss disease is usually managed by orthopaedic and foot surgeons, but it is crucial to understand the diagnosis criteria and differential diagnosis. Javier Carrascoso and Manuel Monteagudo, together with their colleagues, have presented an excellent overview of this disease.

The Achilles tendon is the human body's largest tendon. Injury can limit the career of a promising young athlete. Progressive pathologic changes correlate with imaging findings, and Meghan Moriarty and William Morrison provide an informative overview.

Imaging plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of the diabetic foot and rheumatologic diseases. Ana Isabel Garcia-Diez and her team review the challenges related to diagnosing the diabetic foot. Symptoms of many rheumatologic diseases begin in the foot and ankle. To be precise and accurate, knowledge of the patterns of the different rheumatologic disorders is essential. Chiara Giraudo et al present a helpful overview.

P. Diana Afonso and colleagues describe in detail the differential diagnosis of metatarsalgia and how to differentiate between Morton's neuroma and plantar plate injury.

In the article by Silvia Martin and Javier Gomez Moriñigo, percutaneous interventional procedures are described as an alternative to surgical techniques with lower risks and morbidity in the treatment of Achilles tendinopathy and plantar fasciitis. Platelet-rich plasma, steroids, and high-volume injections are also covered.

Finally, Emilio Inarejos Clemente et al describe pediatric foot deformities. It is essential knowledge for the pediatric radiologist but also for the general radiologist because some of these deformities may be diagnosed in adulthood.

We would like to thank all the authors of this issue on imaging of the ankle and foot for their excellent work, giving us a review of the more frequent lesions with important tips to improve our reports. We want to express our gratitude to the editors of Seminars for giving us the opportunity to act as guest editors.

Publication History

Article published online:
25 May 2023

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