STANDARDIZED ULTRASONIC EVALUATION OF THE ANKLE JOINT - CORRELATION OF THE STANDARD SONOGRAPHIC VIEWS WITH CORRESPONDING MRI-SCANS

Aim: The sonographical examination of the ankle was demonstrated in fi ve standard cross-sections presented by the DEGUM (German Society for the Development of Ultrasonography in the Locomotor Apparatus) and com pared with corresponding MRI cross-sections. Method: The sonographical examination was done in a real-time method with an ultrasound unit Ty pe Versa (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) and with a linear transducer (fr equency 7.5 Mhz). The MRI tomographies were taken in two planes with t he unit Type Magnetom (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) with a 1.5 Tesla he ad-coil in T-1- and T-2-weighted spin echo sequences. Results: Focus o n the ventral, lateral and dorsal region provided a good overview of t he superior ankle joint and the periarticular soft tissues. Conclusion : Being a cross-sectional method, the sonographical examination of the ankle joint offers additional information with regard to pathological changes of the joint and the periarticular soft-tissues.