MRI of the foot and ankle: prevalence and distribution of occult and palpable ganglia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and anatomic distribution of occult and palpable ganglia of the foot and ankle as seen by MRI. Within a 7-year period MRI of the ankle was performed on 2813 patients, and MRI of the foot on 2277 patients using a 1.5T magnet. In all, 167 ganglia in 155 patients were detected. MR images of these patients were reviewed retrospectively by two observers with regard to prevalence, imaging characteristics, and exact anatomic location of ganglia. Clinical findings and (when available) surgical reports were also reviewed. One hundred fifty-seven ganglia in 145 patients were present on MR images of the ankle, and 10 ganglia in 10 patients on MR images of the foot, resulting in a prevalence of 5.6% (157/2813) in the ankle, and a prevalence of 0.4% (10/2277) in the foot. The most common location was the tarsal sinus or tarsal canal (57/167 ganglia [34.1%]). However, only four of these (7%) were palpable as a soft-tissue mass. The second most common location was around the Lisfranc joint (23/167 [13.8%]), of which 11/23 [47.8%] were clinically palpable. Palpable ganglia were statistically larger in size than occult ganglia measured in any of three diameters (P = 0.01-0.002). In addition, ganglia of the foot and ankle represented 42% of all clinically suspected soft-tissue masses. Ganglia in the foot and ankle are an infrequent finding on routine MRI of the foot and ankle. When they occur, these ganglia are most frequently located in the tarsal sinus and tarsal canal, where they are occult to clinical palpation. If ganglia are clinically palpable, they are most commonly located around the Lisfranc joint. In addition, palpable ganglia are larger than occult ganglia.