title: Analysis of achilles tendon vascularity with second-generation contrast-enhanced ultrasound.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare morphological, power Doppler, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features of the Achilles tendon between asymptomatic athletes and athletes who had undergone surgical repair of a previous rupture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four athletes were divided in two groups (A and B). Group A included 14 patients with a median age of 32 years (range 27 to 47 years) who had undergone surgical repair for unilateral Achilles tendon rupture. Group B (control group) included 10 subjects with a median age of 34 years (range 27 to 40 years) with no previous or present history of tendinopathy. All patients were evaluated with ultrasound, power Doppler, and CEUS with second-generation contrast agent. We studied the uninjured Achilles tendon in athletes of group A and either the left or the right Achilles tendon of the athletes in group B.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CEUS showed a significantly greater ability to detect a greater number of vascular spots within the uninjured tendon of group A compared to group B (<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In athletes who had suffered a tear of an Achilles tendon, CEUS detected small vessels that were not identified by power Doppler ultrasound in the uninjured contralateral Achilles tendon. CEUS is useful to evaluate vascularity not detected by other imaging techniques. Vascularity in the uninjured tendon seems to be increased in patients who had a previous rupture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy. eugegeno@libero.it
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Genovese
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ronga
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Recaldini
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Callegari
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maffulli
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fugazzola
mesh_terms: D000125:Achilles Tendon / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000293:injuries; D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media