TY - JOUR
T1 - Plantar fascia evaluation with a dedicated magnetic resonance scanner in weight-bearing position: our experience in patients with plantar fasciitis and in healthy volunteers.
AU - Sutera, Raffaello
AU - La Tona, Giuseppe
AU - Midiri, Massimo
AU - Iovane, Angelo
AU - Sorrentino, Fortunato
AU - Mularo, Valentina
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Purpose. This study assessed the usefulness of upright weight-bearing examination of the ankle/hind foot performed with a dedicated magnetic resonance (MR)imaging scanner in the evaluation of the plantar fascia inhealthy volunteers and in patients with clinical evidence of plantar fasciitis.Materials and methods. Between January and March 2009, 20 patients with clinical evidence of plantar fasciitis (group A) and a similar number of healthy volunteers(group B) underwent MR imaging of the ankle/hind foot in the upright weight-bearing and conventional supine position. A 0.25-Tesla MR scanner (G-Scan, Esaote SpA, Genoa, Italy) was used with a dedicated receiving coil for the ankle/hind foot. Three radiologists, blinded to patients’ history and clinical findings, assessed in consensus morphological and dimensional changes and signal intensity alterations on images acquired in both positions, in different sequences and in different planes.Results. In group A, MR imaging confirmed the diagnosis in 15/20 cases; in 4/15 cases, a partial tear of the plantarfascia was identified in the upright weight-bearing position alone. In the remaining 5/20 cases in group A and in all cases in group B, the plantar fascia showed no abnormal signal intensity. Because of the increased stretching of the plantar fascia, in all cases in group A and B, thickness inthe proximal third was significantly reduced (p<0.0001)under upright weight-bearing compared with the supine positionConclusions. Imaging the ankle/hind foot in the upright weight-bearing position with a dedicated MR scanner and a dedicated coil might enable the identification of partial tears of the plantar fascia, which could be overlooked in the supine position.
AB - Purpose. This study assessed the usefulness of upright weight-bearing examination of the ankle/hind foot performed with a dedicated magnetic resonance (MR)imaging scanner in the evaluation of the plantar fascia inhealthy volunteers and in patients with clinical evidence of plantar fasciitis.Materials and methods. Between January and March 2009, 20 patients with clinical evidence of plantar fasciitis (group A) and a similar number of healthy volunteers(group B) underwent MR imaging of the ankle/hind foot in the upright weight-bearing and conventional supine position. A 0.25-Tesla MR scanner (G-Scan, Esaote SpA, Genoa, Italy) was used with a dedicated receiving coil for the ankle/hind foot. Three radiologists, blinded to patients’ history and clinical findings, assessed in consensus morphological and dimensional changes and signal intensity alterations on images acquired in both positions, in different sequences and in different planes.Results. In group A, MR imaging confirmed the diagnosis in 15/20 cases; in 4/15 cases, a partial tear of the plantarfascia was identified in the upright weight-bearing position alone. In the remaining 5/20 cases in group A and in all cases in group B, the plantar fascia showed no abnormal signal intensity. Because of the increased stretching of the plantar fascia, in all cases in group A and B, thickness inthe proximal third was significantly reduced (p<0.0001)under upright weight-bearing compared with the supine positionConclusions. Imaging the ankle/hind foot in the upright weight-bearing position with a dedicated MR scanner and a dedicated coil might enable the identification of partial tears of the plantar fascia, which could be overlooked in the supine position.
KW - Plantar fascia · MRI · Weight-bearing
KW - Plantar fascia · MRI · Weight-bearing
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10447/58954
UR - http://www.raffaellosutera.it/images/comunicazioni/17.pdf
M3 - Article
VL - 115
SP - 246
EP - 250
JO - LA RADIOLOGIA MEDICA
JF - LA RADIOLOGIA MEDICA
SN - 0033-8362
ER -