Power Doppler findings in plantar fasciitis

The study was performed to characterize the power Doppler ultrasonographic (PDU) findings in plantar fasciitis using a 7.5 MHz linear transducer. Both feet of 20 patients who had a clinical and ultrasound (US) diagnosis of unilateral plantar fasciitis were evaluated with PDU. The pain level was assessed with a visual analogue scale (VAS). A total of 20 healthy volunteers were evaluated as a control group. Moderate or marked hyperemia was found in PDU in the plantar fascia and the surrounding soft tissue along the first cm distally from the insertion in 8 (40%) of the 20 symptomatic heels and in 1 patient (5%) on the asymptomatic side. Moderate or marked hyperemia was associated with a history of less than 6 months and high pain levels. The difference between both groups was significant (p < 0.05). PDU improves the value of US as a noninvasive technique for the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis, providing additional information on local hyperemia. (E-mail: m-walther.klh@mail.uni-wuerzburg.de) © 2004 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.