Os Trigonum – Sheer Incidental or Quite Significant? Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography's Role in a Case of Ankle Impingement

Accessory ossicles are widely prevalent in the ankle and foot. Although they are often asymptomatic, they can present clinically with symptoms at times. When they occur bilaterally in a patient who presents with unilateral complaints, it is clinically difficult to attribute the symptoms to the presence of these common anatomic variants. One needs specific imaging to assess the clinical relevance of the accessory ossicles, in order to tailor the treatment plan. The case presented in this article is one such example, where the patient presented with chronic unilateral ankle pain and initial radiographs revealed bilateral os trigonum and os subtibiale. He underwent a technetium-99m methyl diphosphonate (Tc-99m MDP) bone scan and single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT). The Tc-99m MDP scan showed a focal uptake in the ankle of concern. SPECT/CT complemented the finding by exactly localizing the uptake to the posterior subtalar joint and around the os trigonum, thereby pointing to the diagnosis of os trigonum syndrome.