Osteochondral Lesions About the Ankle

Osteochondral lesions (OCLs) about the foot and ankle often manifest clinically as prolonged joint pain after trauma, often an ankle sprain, which is refractory to conventional, conservative therapeutic treatment. Noncontrast MR imaging is the standard of care imaging modality for diagnosing and classifying osteochondral lesions, but equivocal or difficult lesions can be assessed more specifically with direct MR arthrography or in conjunction with multidetector CT. Once an OCL has been identified, the imager should make every effort to determine whether it is stable or potentially unstable.