Background: plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of inferior heel pain. Sonography should be the initial imaging modality for straight forward confirmation of clinically suspected plantar fasciitis. MRI may be reserved for cases where a more diagnosis of plantar fasciitis is not satisfactory to explain the clinical presentation and when complex pathology is suspected.
Objective: the aim of the study is to assess the role of MRI in assessment of plantar fasciitis.
Methods: This study was carried out at Radio diagnosis Department, Zagazig University Hospitals; the study was carried on 18 patients and 18 asymptomatic volunteers were used as a control group. Ultrasonography and MRI were done to all patients.

Results: The plantar fascia was thickened in symptomtic feet. The thickness of the plantar fascia in symptomatic feet was (2.9 – 8.4 mm; 6.01± 1.4) measured by ultrasound which was significantly thicker than in the control group (1.90 – 3.70 mm; 3.09±0.8), P < 0.05. Other sonographic signs used for the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis in the study were compared to MRI findings. The diagnostic accuracy was 83.3 for plantar fascia thickening, 83.3% for intra-fascial abnormal signal, 77.8% for soft tissue edema, and the lowest diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound was in detection of associated calcaneal spur (38.9%). The findings were tabulated and discussed in relation to other literature.