Panoramic ultrasound to measure in vivo tendo Achilles strain.
BACKGROUND
The tendo Achilles (TA) is a tendon very susceptible to injury. Biomechanical methodologies for exploring tendon strain are limited, however, as they are typically performed in vitro or by indirectly measuring the displacement of reference markers. By using panoramic ultrasound, this study reports a novel approach to acquire direct, in vivo tendon extension data.


METHODS
Sonographic scans were acquired between two in vivo landmarks following a consistent pathway along the long axis of the distal TA. Ten subjects were scanned with an unloaded tendon and then when resisting a range of loads. Tendon cross-sectional area was measured following coronal scans of the TA in three subjects, allowing for calculation and plotting of stress versus strain. Coefficients of variation were also calculated to measure the reliability and robustness of the protocol.


RESULTS
Data from all ten subjects were found to fit with classic tendon force versus extension trend. The stress versus strain plot indicated that the wavy collagen fibers were fully straightened at 4% to 6% strain, which is comparable to results reported in other studies. The Young's modulus of 0.5 to 2.1 GPa also compared favorably to published data.


CONCLUSIONS
Coefficients of variation indicated that the protocol was repeatable, although the technique for measuring cross-sectional area could be improved.


CONCLUSIONS
As the reported data is comparable to previous invasive and in vitro studies, we believe sports medicine specialists and orthopaedic surgeons can utilize panoramic ultrasound to directly measure in vivo tendon strain.
Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Oliver M
OM
Stokes
Peter S
PS
Theobald
Neil D
ND
Pugh
Leonard D M
LD
Nokes
D000125:Achilles Tendon / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000293:injuries*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013180:Sprains and Strains / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*