Exploring the Impact of MRI on Bones and Joints Evaluation

Background: The most popular kind of musculoskeletal injury, trauma, accounts for around 12% of all visits. Ankle and rear foot injuries are placed at the top of the list.

Aim: This current study aimed to assess and enroll clinical outcomes of the MRI's accuracy in identifying ankle and foot pathologies.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 78 patients with ankle and foot injuries. All patients were referred to the Diagnostic and Radiological Imaging Department Basra – Iraq hospitals during the follow-up period between February 2023 and February 2024. Patients' ages ranged from 20 to 60 years. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All patients consented to the diagnostic procedure. Clinical outcomes were evaluated after the MRI procedure, as well as quality of life, to determine the impact of MRI on the assessment of ankle and foot joints during the follow-up period.

Results: In the present study, a total of 61 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 51 (83.6%) were male and 27 (44.3%) were female, thereby indicating a predominance of males in the study population. The prevalence of acute pain was reported by 57.69% of the subjects, while chronic pain was noted by 42.31%. The observed injuries were categorized as follows: ligament injury (38.46%), tendon injury (15.38%), bone injury (20.51%), and joint effusion (25.64%). The most prevalent pathology types were trauma and infection, accounting for 51.28% and 21.79% of the patients, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was determined to be highly sensitive (91.12%), highly specific (89.64%), and highly accurate (96.40%).

Conclusion: Our study revealed that magnetic resonance imaging used improves evaluation of the ankle and the foot joint, particularly when it comes to diagnosing and managing musculoskeletal conditions.