Ankle MRI

MRI of a single ankle joint evaluating ligaments, tendons, cartilage, and the syndesmosis. Detects occult fractures and osteochondral defects of the talus.

The ankle MRI provides imaging of the tibiotalar and subtalar joints, lateral and medial ligament complexes, Achilles tendon, peroneal and posterior tibial tendons, and the ankle syndesmosis. The examination is particularly valuable for detecting pathology that is commonly missed on plain radiographs. The protocol includes coronal, sagittal, and axial T1 and T2-weighted sequences with STIR. The radiologist evaluates the anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ligaments for tears (the most commonly injured structures after ankle sprains), the deltoid ligament complex, the syndesmosis for high ankle sprains, the Achilles tendon for tendinopathy and tears, peroneal and tibialis posterior tendons for subluxation and tears, and the talar dome for osteochondral lesions. Common indications include persistent ankle instability after sprains, chronic ankle pain, suspected osteochondral defect of the talus, Achilles tendon pathology, and evaluation of posterior tibial tendon dysfunction in flatfoot deformity. The scan takes approximately 25 minutes.