MR-IMAGING OF THE ANKLE AND FOOT - NORMAL STRUCTURES AND ANATOMIC VARIANTS THAT MAY SIMULATE DISEASE

In the past, MR imaging of the ankle and foot has been performed by sc anning both extremities simultaneously to provide a normal side for co mparison. More recently, unilateral imaging with small local coils has been favored to maximize spatial resolution through use of small fiel ds of view or large matrices. Such clarity of detail, however, demands a greater knowledge of normal anatomy and anatomic variants. We illus trate the MR appearances of a number of variants involving muscle, ten dons, ligaments, and osseous structures of the foot and ankle. Familia rity with these findings is essential to prevent errors in the interpr etation of MR images.