INTRAMUSCULAR GANGLIA ARISING FROM THE SUPERIOR TIBIOFIBULAR JOINT - CT AND MR EVALUATION

Objective. To evaluate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) an d computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of intramuscular ganglia ( IMG) that arise from the superior tibiofibular joint (STFJ). Material and methods. Our series consisted of three men and three women, Four p atients were studied by MRI, one by CT only, and two by both modalitie s. Contrast was used in one of the two patients studied by CT. MRI was obtained in at least two orthogonal planes to demonstrate the relatio n of the ganglia to STFJ. Results. The MR and CT appearance of these g anglia was basically that of a well-defined soft tissue mass with low attenuation on CT images consistent with the presence of fluid. On MR studies, they had an isointense signal on T1-weighted images and a hom ogenous high-intensity signal on T2-weighted images. MRI demonstrated the attachment of these ganglia to the STFJ. Conclusion. CT and MRI we re effective, noninvasive modalities in the evaluation of IMG. The ima ging features on both modalities were consistent with the presence of fluid-containing lesions that had close proximity and were attached to the STFJ. The combination of location and the fluid consistency of th ese lesions facilitated the diagnosis.