Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Patricia M Cunningham.
High-field MRI is moving rapidly from the research realm to clinical use. This modality has intrinsic advantages in signal to noise ratio, which allows images that have im-proved resolution, are obtained faster, or have less noise. Perhaps most importantly these scanners will allow functional imaging to become a reality in the musculoskeletal system. Care must be used in protocols because of the energy deposition and worsened artifacts at higher fields.
Pedal complications of diabetes have long presented a challenge for the clinician and radiologist predominately related to the difficulty in distinguishing infection from neuroarthropathy. The spectrum of diabetic foot infections is broad, ranging from callous and ulcer formation, to septic arthritis, abscess formation, and osteomyelitis. This article summarizes the MR imaging findings in the diabetic foot and the optimal pulse sequences. Focus is placed on aids in differentiating diabetic infection from other entities and increasing the specificity of diagnosing diabetic foot complications.