MR foot
Nowadays, imaging studies play a key role in the diagnosis of a wide variety of conditions, allowing to assess the condition of not only bone structures, but also the surrounding soft tissues.
As a rule, magnetic resonance imaging of the foot is a complement to the diagnosis carried out in classical radiography (X-ray) and ultrasonography (ultrasound), and is performed to definitively confirm or exclude the expected lesions. The advantage of this type of examination is the ability to perform cross-sections in
What are the indications for an MRI of the foot?
An MRI of the hip joint may be necessary for a number of complaints reported by the patient, including:
- Hip joint pain,
- swelling of the hip joint,
- Hip joint stiffness,
- Locking or instability of the joint during movement,
- Limited mobility of the hip joint,
- inflammation,
- signs of damage to muscles, cartilage, joint capsules or ligaments.
What are the indications for an MRI of the foot?
Indications for MRI of the foot include, but are not limited to:
- degenerative changes and overload conditions of the feet – associated, for example, with sports, but also with the use of the wrong type of footwear (such as shoes with heels);
- Bone fractures, dislocations, sprains – and their complications;
- damage to the ligaments of the foot – including those located in depth, not always visible on ultrasound;
- damage to the tendons of the foot – as well as, for example, the tendon of the posterior tibialis muscle, which is responsible for supporting the longitudinal arch of the foot;
- Plantar fasciitis – manifested by pain in the heel area, especially aggravated in the morning after getting out of bed, and usually observed in runners and long-distance walkers who frequently strike their heel against the ground, causing numerous micro-injuries to tendons and nerves;
- Compressive neuropathies – such as tarsal tunnel syndrome or the so-called Morton’s neuroma, in which nerves are compressed, resulting in numbness, tingling, burning or pain in certain parts of the foot;
- Hammer toes, hallux valgus and other toe deformities
- Rheumatic diseases and inflammatory conditions;
- Anatomical anomalies – such as an extra fibular muscle;
- Neoplastic lesions – benign and malignant.
MRI of the foot is performed when the above conditions are suspected, or when a patient presents after an accident or injury in the foot, and standard X-ray/USG examinations are not sufficient to make a clear diagnosis. MRI allows not only to gain certainty about the nature of the lesions, but also to precisely localize them and assess their severity.
What are the contraindications to an MRI of the foot?
Resonance is sometimes contraindicated by the presence of elements with ferromagnetic properties, such as:
- pacemaker,
- neurostimulator,
- insulin pump,
- cochlear implant,
- Endoprostheses, screws, plates or orthopedic wires (made of ferromagnetic materials!),
- Shotgun shells, bullet fragments, metal filings, etc.
In addition, relative contraindications include the already mentioned first trimester of pregnancy.
Contrast agent
During an MRI scan of the foot, it is sometimes necessary to administer a contrast agent. Contrast agents in the vast majority of cases are removed from the body with urine. It is therefore crucial to make sure that the patient’s kidneys are functioning properly, which will allow us to assume that the contrast substance will not overtax them.