ArticleEuropean radiology2023
Regional shear wave elastography of Achilles tendinopathy in symptomatic versus contralateral Achilles tendons.
Article in European radiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Diagnosis of chronic Achilles tendinopathy in athletes and its treatment with prolotherapy and paratenon stripping.Skeletal radiology · 2026Review
- Achilles Tendon Shear Wave Velocity Within a 1-Year Follow-Up After Non-Operatively Treated Rupture.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2026Article
- Shear Wave Elastography Assessment of Achilles Tendon Stiffness in Asymptomatic Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Ankle-angle-dependent shear wave velocity of the Achilles tendon and triceps surae during passive dorsiflexion in runners with Achilles tendinopathy.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Mechanical loading and fatigue-induced changes in triceps surae muscle-tendon unit: sex-specific responses and recovery dynamics.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Elasticity mapping of gastrocnemius fascia and myotendinous junction of the medial gastrocnemius during passive ankle and knee dorsiflexion.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Achilles tendon ultrasound-derived properties of the dominant and non-dominant jumping leg of university basketball athletes: relation with performance, range of motion, and injury.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Angle-specific stiffness profiles of the achilles tendon and Triceps surae muscles: a continuous characterization.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Ultrasonic evaluation of the master knot of henry: anatomical relationships and predictive modeling.Journal of medical ultrasonics (2001) · 2025Article
- Acute Lateral Ankle Sprain Impairs Function and Strength Without Altering Muscle or Tendon Stiffness: A Controlled Observational Study.Orthopaedic surgery · 2025Observational
- Platelet-rich plasma for patellar tendinopathy: a randomized controlled trial correlating clinical outcomes and quantitative imaging.Radiology advances · 2024Article
- Development of a piezo stack - laser Doppler vibrometer sensing approach for characterizing shear wave dispersion and local viscoelastic property distributions.Mechanical systems and signal processing · 2024Article
- Achilles tendon and triceps surae muscle properties in athletes.European journal of applied physiology · 2024Article
- A Comparison of Achilles Tendon Morphological Characteristics Based Upon VISA-A Score in Active Adults Over Age 50.International journal of exercise science · 2024Article
- In Achilles Tendinopathy the Symptomatic Tendon Differs from the Asymptomatic Tendon While Exercise Therapy Has Little Effect on Asymmetries-An Ancillary Analysis of Data from a Controlled Clinical Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
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6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
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Abstract
objectivesUltrasound often corroborates clinical diagnosis of Achilles tendinopathy (AT). Traditional measures assess macromorphological features or use qualitative grading scales, primarily focused within the free tendon. Shear wave imaging can non-invasively quantify tendon elasticity, yet it is unknown if proximal structures are affected by tendon pathology. The purpose of the study was to determine the characteristics of both traditional sonographic measures and regional shear wave speed (SWS) between limbs in patients with AT.
methodsTwenty patients with chronic AT were recruited. Traditional sonographic measures of tendon structure were measured. Regional SWS was collected in a resting ankle position along the entire length of the tendon bilaterally. SWS measures were extracted and interpolated across evenly distributed points corresponding to the free tendon (FT), soleus aponeurosis (SA), and gastrocnemius aponeurosis (GA). Comparisons were made between limbs in both traditional sonographic measures and regional SWS.
resultsSymptomatic tendons were thicker (10.2 (1.9) vs. 6.8 (1.8) mm; p < 0.001) and had more hyperemia (p = 0.001) and hypoechogenicity (p = 0.002) than the contralateral tendon. Regional SWS in the FT was lower in the symptomatic limb compared to the contralateral limb (11.53 [10.99, 12.07] vs. 10.97 [10.43, 11.51]; p = 0.03). No differences between limbs were found for the SA (p = 0.13) or GA (p = 0.99).
conclusionsLower SWS was only observed in the FT in AT patients, indicating that alterations in tendon elasticity associated with AT were localized to the FT and did not involve the proximal passive tendon structures. KEY POINTS: • Baseline characteristics of a pilot sample of 20 subjects suffering from chronic Achilles tendinopathy showed differences in conventional sonographic measures of tendon thickness, qualitatively assessed hypoechogenicity, hyperemia, and quantitative measures of shear wave speed. • Regional shear wave speeds were lower in the free tendon but not in the proximal regions of the soleus or gastrocnemius aponeuroses in Achilles tendinopathy patients. • Using shear wave imaging to estimate tendon stiffness may prove beneficial for clinical validation studies to address important topics such as return to activity and the effectiveness of rehabilitation protocols.
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