Posterior Ankle
August 2023
Author: R. Conner Dixon, MD, CAQ-SM
Peer-Reviewer: Justine Ko, MD, CAQ-SM
Final Editor: Will Denq, MD, CAQ-SM
Can you name the major structures of interest in this longitudinal posterior ankle ultrasound image?
This image was captured by placing a linear probe in a cranial-caudal plane in the posterior aspect of the ankle.
Image 2: Demonstration of the ultrasound technique for the posterior ankle. Author's own image.
A patient comes in complaining of ankle pain after playing soccer. He thinks someone may have kicked him in the back of his foot. You obtain the following ultrasound image.
Case courtesy of Maulik S Patel, Radiopaedia.org, rID: 76024
What are the major structures in this longitudinal posterior ankle ultrasound and where is the pathology?
You can see an interruption in the longitudinal fibers of the achilles tendon, as identified by the purple arrow.
Case courtesy of Maulik S Patel, Radiopaedia.org, rID: 76024, author's own annotations