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Wk 1, Case 2 - Review

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Okay.

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This is a 12-year-old with heel pain and

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swelling after landing on her heel 10 weeks ago.

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So I said, I like to, I like to put up my, my

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sequences in threes of three are available.

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And I've got a series of three sagittal.

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So let's put all three of them up together.

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We have a gradient echo.

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We have a PD fat set in which the T

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that was chosen is a little too long.

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Not thrilled about that, but we'll have to live

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with it because that's what we've been given.

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And I've got a T1-weighted image.

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So

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let's start out with our T1-weighted image.

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I am looking at the patient's age.

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The patient is 12.

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I know that the calcaneus is ossified by age 12.

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And there is ossification on the.

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the T1-weighted image.

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But there's also some cartilage within.

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So that makes it a little tricky because

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the cartilaginous component can get a little

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bit bright on the water-weighted image.

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While the osseous component should not,

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the osseous component should fat-suppress.

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So how do you know, how do you

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know when the edema is too much?

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How do you know whether this

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edema is cartilaginous or not?

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And the only way to know that is to

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go to the areas that are more ossified

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and see if there's edema there.

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For instance, this area is more

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ossified, more marrow-like.

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And it's a little bit heterogeneous right there.

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And even the cartilaginous component is a little

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bit brighter than I otherwise might have expected.

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Now, I would really like to see a little

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more swelling in the soft tissues, but the

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patient has heel pain and there is no other

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living, breathing explanation for heel pain.

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She's got no fracture.

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She's 12 years old.

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She has plantar.

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She has a normal plantar fascia.

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She has a normal Achilles.

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She has a perfect superior calcaneal protuberance.

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She has a perfect foot plate or footprint.

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She has a perfect kegger space.

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So we have no other explanation for the

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patient's clinical syndrome with one exception.

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This case is billed as Sever's disease, and

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that's because this is the only finding.

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I don't want to scroll this case for you.

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There's one other finding that I find disturbing,

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and here's the finding.

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I don't like the fact that I see subcortical,

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very scant edema in the navicular.

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I also see it in the calcaneus.

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I see it.

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I see these shiny edges.

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I also see it in the cuboid.

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So there's only one other diagnostic

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consideration here other than, um, apophysitis.

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And of course the history isn't great for

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apophysitis right the patient fell you

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would think the patient had a fracture,

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and that is complex regional pain

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syndrome type two, which is also known as

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apophysitis.

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Reflect sympathetic dystrophy.

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This could be one of the earliest

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manifestations of this, this syndrome.

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And in this case, that diagnosis required ruling

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out, uh, the child was followed for a period

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of time, did not have, um, pillow motor signs.

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And so I had to take the podiatrist

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and the foot surgeon who was taking

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care of this patient at their word.

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So, by process of elimination, we came up

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with a diagnosis of of Sever's disease or an

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apophysitis, even though the history did not

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fit swimmingly well, but I want you to keep

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these findings in mind as we look at the follow

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up case that's going to be coming up in a few

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moments because ruling out CRPS in a child.

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is essential.

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It's one of those diagnoses that cannot

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be missed for a child can lose their foot.

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If this diagnosis is missed,

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you miss a meniscus tear.

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You're doing a child a favor in many

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cases, unless it's a bucket handle tear.

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But if you miss CRPS,

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It can be a disaster.

Report

Patient History
12-year-old girl with severe left heel pain and swelling after jumping and landing on her heel 10 weeks prior

Findings
SKELETAL/BONES:

Diffuse osteoedema (evident as diffuse T1 hypointensity and T2 hyperintensity) through the calcaneal apophysis. Mild diffuse enhancement through the calcaneal apophysis. Findings consistent with calcaneal apophysitis (Sever's disease).

A similar, but less pronounced pattern of osteoedema is seen through the base of the 5th metatarsal apophysis.

No other osteoedema. No micro or macro trabecular fracture. No stress fracture. Unremarkable epiphyses.

ARTICULATIONS:

Tibiotalar joint/talar dome: No osteochondral defect of the talar dome or tibial plafond.

Ankle mortise/syndesmosis: The ankle mortise is in anatomic alignment. No syndesmosis widening.

Chopart joint: Unremarkable.

Midfoot/hindfoot: Unremarkable.

LIGAMENTS:

High ankle: Intact.

Low ankle: Intact.

Subtalar/Chopart: Intact.

TENDONS:

Intact.

GENERAL:

Sinus tarsi: Unremarkable.

Muscles: No traumatic muscle injury. No volumetric muscle atrophy.

Soft tissue: Small contusion involving the fat pad overlying the plantar aspect of the calcaneus. Otherwise unremarkable.

Plantar fascia: Intact.

Neurovascular complex/tarsal tunnel: Unremarkable. No evidence of entrapment neuropathy.

Intra-articular/loose bodies: None.

Impressions
Osteoedema and enhancement of the calcaneal apophysis, consistent with calcaneal apophysitis (Sever's disease). No fracture.

Case Discussion

Faculty

Stephen J Pomeranz, MD

Chief Medical Officer, ProScan Imaging. Founder, MRI Online

ProScan Imaging

Jenny T Bencardino, MD

Vice-Chair, Academic Affairs Department of Radiology

Montefiore Radiology

Edward Smitaman, MD

Clinical Associate Professor

University of California San Diego

Tags

Musculoskeletal (MSK)

MRI

Foot & Ankle

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