Additional Benefit of SPECT-CT in Investigating Heel Pain

Abstract

A 21-year-old man presented with a 3-year history of right heel pain. There was no history of trauma. Clinically, Achilles tendonitis was suspected. Plain radiography demonstrated a right plantar calcaneal spur. Bone scintigraphy (planar imaging and SPECT/CT) revealed changes in keeping with a right-sided plantar fasciitis, with an enthesopathy at the site of the Achilles tendon insertion and an associated bursitis. The modalities most commonly used to investigate heel pain are ultrasound and MRI. However, this case highlights the utility of hybrid SPECT/CT imaging in the anatomic localization of increased metabolic activity.