58-year-old male with a left hand lesion. Evaluate for abscess. Limited examination due to patient motion, wrap around artifact, inability to use a dedicated wrist coil, and inability to optimally position the patient. Evaluation for abscess formation is further limited due to lack of intravenous contrast.The patient is status post amputation of the first and second rays as well as the third, fourth, and fifth fingers at the level of the PIP joints. There is a soft tissue defect along the radial aspect of the palm of the hand. There is diffuse edema type signal within the underlying volar soft tissues of the hand and wrist. There is a small amount of fluid noted within the carpal tunnel, which extends distal to the tunnel for a few centimeters along the flexor tendons of the ring finger. There is also fluid signal intensity within the soft tissues of the hand dorsal to the remaining metacarpals, which is nonspecific but could represent abscess formation with fluid extending along the extensor tendons of the middle and ring fingers to the level of the MCP joint. The bone marrow signal intensity appears normal given the aforementioned limitations.
1. Postoperative changes and radial sided soft tissue defect with diffuse soft tissue edema as described above.2. Fluid signal intensity within the dorsal soft tissues of the hand could represent abscess formation. Additional fluid signal intensity arising within the carpal tunnel is nonspecific but the possibility of infection cannot be excluded.