title: MR evaluation of chronic Achilles tendinosis. A longitudinal study of 15 patients preoperatively and two years postoperatively.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate surgically treated patients with chronic Achilles tendinosis by MR.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gd-contrast-enhanced (CME) T1-, precontrast T1-, PD- and T2-weighted images were obtained preoperatively and 2 years following surgical treatment on 15 middle-aged patients with severe symptoms of chronic Achilles tendinosis. MR evaluation included the depiction of intratendinous signal alterations and their volume, and also measurement of tendon diameter. A questionnaire and clinical examination evaluated the clinical outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most sensitive sequence to depict an intratendinous lesion was the CME T1-WI. There was marked regress of the estimated volume of the intratendinous signal alteration from a median of 1.2 cm3 preoperatively to 0.0 cm3 postoperatively on CME T1-WI. CME T1-WI showed a regress in intratendinous signal abnormality from 13 out of 15 patients preoperatively to 4 of 15 patients 2 years postoperatively. The a.p. dimension was 9 mm at both MR occasions. The clinical outcome was excellent in 8, good in 5, fair in 1 and poor in 1 patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical treatment of chronic Achilles tendinosis and its healing resulted in a decrease or elimination of the intratendinous signal alteration correlating to an improved clinical outcome 2 years postoperatively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Huddinge University Hospital, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shalabi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kristoffersen-Wiberg
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aspelin
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Movin
mesh_terms: D000125:Achilles Tendon / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003287:Contrast Media; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D052256:Tendinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA