title: The calcaneus: normal and abnormal.
abstract: The calcaneus is the largest tarsal bone. Many congenital and acquired disorders affect the bone. Primary disorders arise in the calcaneus itself, whereas secondary disorders arising in the neighboring soft tissues extend into and affect the calcaneus indirectly. Among the primary lesions, congenital, traumatic, infectious, hematologic, neoplastic, and other miscellaneous disorders constitute the majority, whereas various arthritides and soft-tissue neoplasms that arise adjacent to the bone constitute the important secondary calcaneal disorders. Radiographic features of many disorders of the calcaneus are disease-specific and thus diagnostic. This article describes a wide spectrum of calcaneal disorders and illustrates their salient radiographic features. This knowledge should facilitate radiographic diagnosis of various calcaneal disorders encountered in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77550-2774.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matasar
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stansberry
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shirkhoda
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Madewell
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Swischuck
mesh_terms: D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002111:Calcaneus / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000293:injuries; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed