title: Imaging of soft tissue lesions of the foot and ankle.
abstract: Differential diagnosis of soft tissue lesions of the foot can be narrowed with imaging. The cystic nature of ganglia, synovial cysts, and bursitis can be confirmed with MR imaging or sonography. Location and signal characteristics of noncystic lesions can suggest Morton's neuroma, giant cell tumor of tendon sheath, and plantar fibromatosis. Synovial-based lesions of the foot and ankle can be differentiated based on presence or absence of mineralization, lesion density, signal intensity, and enhancement pattern. Knowledge of the incidence of specific neoplasms of the foot and ankle based on patient age aids in providing a limited differential diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Central Florida, Florida Hospital, 601 East Rollins Street, Orlando, FL 32803, USA. laura.bancroft@flhosp.org
authors.forename: Laura W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Bancroft
authors.forename: Jeffrey J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kransdorf
mesh_terms: D000842:Ankle / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005528:Foot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005534:Foot Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D011859:Radiography; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*