Abstract #3252

High Resolution MRI of Asymptomatic Plantar Plate Under Flexion and Extension: Implications for Understanding Normal Structure and Diagnosing Tears

Heidi J. Siddle¹, Anthony C. Redmond¹, Philip S. Helliwell¹, Richard J. Wakefield¹, Philip J. O'Connor², Richard J. Hodgson³

¹Section of Musculoskeletal Disease, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom; ²Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, United Kingdom; ³Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom

MRI is widely used to image the plantar plates of the metarsophalangeal joints. High signal at the insertion is routinely interpreted as a tear; however this is controversial. In this study 3T MRI images consistently demonstrated high signal at the plantar plate insertion centrally in asymptomatic subjects. The high signal did not extend to the medial and lateral borders and is not seen on T2 weighted images. Dorsiflexion of the joint demonstrates bands connecting the body of the plantar plate to the proximal phalanx. High signal centrally in the plantar plate is not indicative of a tear in asymptomatic subjects.