hind foot
for example images, click here to goto the foot pathology page.
plantar fascia:
patient prone on bed, foot flexed with toes on the bed for support. place the probe over the midline of the heel on the plantar aspect. the toe of the probe towards the heel. the plantar fascia will be seen as a fibrillar structure inserting onto the calcaneum (see pic). it should be flat and homogenous.
mid foot
plantar fibromatosis:
the patient will generally present with on or more palpable thickenings in the arch of their foot. follow the plantar fascia into the arch and look for fusiform, nodular thickenings. they may be subtle and more numerous than can be palpated.
forefoot
begin by scanning each metatarso-phalangeal joint for effusions, synovial thickenings or ganglia. assess the extensor then flexor aspects.
morton’s neuroma v’s bursa:
scan in transverse across the plantar aspect of the metatarsal heads.
utilise the ‘mulder’s technique’ to elicit a click and visualise any correlating pathology. this involves gripping across the anterior forefoot whilst scanning the plantar aspect. use a knuckle of your gripping hand to simultaneously apply pressure between the metatarsal heads as you squeeze across the foot.
a morton’s neuroma will be seen as a non compressible, hypoechoic rounded mass at the metatarsal head interspace. similarly, a thickened intermetatarsal bursa will be a hypoechoic area between the metatarsal heads but will be compressible and avascular. it will be seen to bulge out the plantar aspect and correspond to the mulder’s click.
plantar plates:
scan in longitudinal over the plantar aspect of the metatarso-phalageal joints. the plantar plate is readily seen as a homogeneous elongated wedge arising from the base of the proximal phalanx extending under the head of the metatarsal
view with the toes slightly extended
check for tears, calcification and heterogeneity (suggesting degeneration)
foreign body
ensure you approach the proposed site of the foreign body from different angles. some materials will be poorly reflective and almost invisible unless the beam is perpendicular to them. there will usually be a surrounding hypoechoic halo representing an inflammatory reaction
identify the plane of tissue it is in, how close it is to the entry wound and to any blood vessels. it may be helpful to mark the location and orientation of the foreign body on the skin to guide removal.
joint abnormalities
- joint effusions:
- gout: abnormal uric acid metabolism resulting in joint inflammation. may see tophaceous gout as a complex echogenic mass (tophus) in the soft
- osteoarthritis: bony irregularity at the bone ends with joint effusion. when acute the joint will be hyperaemic
- rheumatoid arthritis: thickened synovium with a complex ‘thick’ joint effusion, pannus & associated boney iregularity.
tendon abnormalities
- check for tendon thickening (compare with other side)
- fluid in the tendon sheath
- integrity of the tendon- any tear?
- does the tendon slide freely when mobilised?