Abstract
Ultrasound (US) is the primary imaging technique used to evaluate pathologies affecting the tendons, as the use of high frequency probes permits a detailed study of the structure and morphology of the area also during dynamic examinations. The mid-portion of the Achilles tendon is well evaluated both in normal and pathological conditions, such as tendinosis and peritendinitis as well as partial-thickness and full-thickness tears. The role of US is essential to the diagnosis and, therefore, also to treatment planning in major disorders affecting the Achilles tendon. US furthermore allows the clinician to monitor the effectiveness of treatment over time as well as the risk of recurrent rupture after surgery.
Riassunto
L’esame ecografico è la tecnica di prima istanza nella valutazione della patologia dei tendini grazie alle indicazioni morfologiche e strutturali dettagliate che derivano dall’uso di sonde ad elevata frequenza e alla possibilità di esaminare i tendini anche durante manovre dinamiche. Il ventre tendineo d’Achille è ben valutabile sia in condizioni normali che patologiche quali le tendinosi, peritendiniti, rotture parziali e a tutto spessore. L’ecografia riveste un ruolo essenziale nella diagnosi e quindi nell’impostazione terapeutica delle principali affezioni del tendine d’Achille; consente inoltre di monitorare nel tempo l’efficacia dei trattamenti e nel post-operatorio il rischio di rottura recidiva del tendine.
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Conflict of interest
Andrea Gervasio, Paola Bollani and Aurelio Biasio declare that they have no conflict of interest related to this paper.
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All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5). All patients provided (written) informed consent to enrolment in the study and to the inclusion in this article of information that could potentially lead to their identification.
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The study was conducted in accordance with all institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals.
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Gervasio, A., Bollani, P. & Biasio, A. US in mid-portion Achilles tendon injury. J Ultrasound 17, 135–139 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-013-0023-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-013-0023-z