Diagnostic Podiatry Ultrasound
Doctor Sherman Nagler and Dr. Bryan Lee are proud to provide in-office diagnostic ultrasound procedures for their patients. Ultrasound serves as the critical counterpart to what X-ray affords in assessing bone trauma, allowing us to accurately view and monitor pathologies involving muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other soft-tissue.
The Value of Podiatric Ultrasound
Diagnostic ultrasound assists the doctors of Nagler Foot cemter in providing …
- Highly accurate examinations and measurements of the plantar fascia, to clearly indicate areas of inflammation, ruptures, regions of hematoma, etc., in part to definitively distinguish between plantar fasciitis and plantar fasciosis, a plantar fibroma, a heel spur, or other heel pad injuries (each of which requiring its own individual course of treatment).
- Clear examinations of the Achilles and PT Tendons, ascertaining the extent of tears and ruptures and varying degrees of tendonitis, periarticular swelling, etc.
- Critical differentiation between neuromas and capsulitis (very similar in location and symptomatic effects, but distinctly different and verifiable under ultrasound examination).
- Clear distinction between assorted soft tissue tumors, requiring varying protocols in treatment (e.g., a fibroma and its hyperechoic septa as opposed to a ganglion cyst or hematoma, which appear hypoechoic under ultrasound investigation).
- Unmistakable clarification of the presence of foreign bodies often missed entirely under MRI and invisible to X-ray. (Indeed, having the ability to avoid unnecessary MRI’s is one of the foremost advantages of being able to offer ultrasound to our patients. Our doctors can ascertain the majority of soft-tissue pathologies right then and there, in the office, rather than having to refer you out, like most podiatrists, for a costly, time-consuming MRI.)
- Comprehensive evaluation of deep tissue trauma (as well as ulcers and lesions), where the trauma below the wound and any tunneling can be identified and carefully monitored.
Diagnostic ultrasound provides our doctors with the ability to see soft-tissue pathologies and trauma to the foot and ankle, making possible far clearer distinctions. This information contributes greatly to our ability to best prescribe (and monitor the progress of) the best treatments for our patients.
Use of Diagnostic Ultrasound in Guided Injections and Aspirations
While the ultrasound-guidance of injections is only necessary in certain circumstances requiring greater precision, it remains that it is extremely valuable in those circumstances — which include but are not limited to:
- difficult targeted injections of the plantar fascia,
- the targeting of stump neuromas and multilocuated cysts, intra-articular injections,
- intra-lesional injections,
- biopsies of deep masses and abscesses,
- and the aspiration of fluid-filled masses not fully palpable.
Only through live, ultrasound guidance can injections requiring this kind of precision, be delivered accurately. Without ultrasound guidance, such procedures are very often (literally) hit or miss.