Standardized ultrasound examination of the ankle joint. Clarification of ultrasound standard image sections by corresponding MRI sections

The sonographical examination of the ankle was demonstrated in five standard cross-sections presented by the DEGUM (German Society for the Development of Ultrasonography in the Locomotor Apparatus) and compared with corresponding MRI cross-sections. The sonographical examination was done in a real-time method with an ultrasound unit Type Versa (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) and with a linear transducer (frequency 7.5 Mhz). The MRI tomographies were taken in two planes with the unit Type Magnetom (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) with a 1.5 Tesla head-coil in T1- and T2-weighted spin echo sequences. Focus on the ventral, lateral and dorsal region provided a good overview of the superior ankle joint and the periarticular soft tissues. Being a cross-sectional method, the sonographical examination of the ankle joint offers additional information with regard to pathological changes of the joint and the periarticular soft-tissues.