Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The patellar and quadriceps tendons are responsible for the extension mechanism of the knee joint and frequently become inflamed during sports. Diagnosis and determination of when an athlete can return to sports following these injuries are usually performed by assessing morphological features and functional outcomes. Nevertheless, mechanical properties are not being assessed.

OBJECTIVE:

To describe the stiffness characteristics of these two tendons over the range of knee flexion and to test the feasibility of using strain ultrasound elastography (SE).

METHODS:

SE with an acoustic coupler as the reference was performed for nine healthy males. Relative stiffness measurements were obtained using the strain ratio (SR = target tissue strain/reference strain) by placing the knee in five different flexion angles. Lower SR indicates higher relative stiffness.

RESULTS:

This study showed reliable measurement with good intra- and inter-rater agreement for SR at 30°. SR of the quadriceps tendon decreases as knee flexion increases, indicating increased relative stiffness. In the patellar tendon, no significant difference was observed between 30° and 60°. Beyond 60°, relative stiffness increased constantly.

CONCLUSIONS:

SE is a reproducible and feasible tool to monitor relative stiffness of the patellar and quadriceps tendons in routine clinical settings.

中文翻译：

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应变超声弹性成像对髌骨和股四头肌腱的活体刚度评估

摘要

背景：

髌骨和股四头肌肌腱负责膝关节的伸展机制，在运动过程中经常发炎。通常通过评估形态特征和功能结果来诊断和确定运动员在这些损伤后何时可以恢复运动。然而，尚未评估机械性能。

客观的：

描述这两个肌腱在膝关节屈曲范围内的刚度特性，并测试使用应变超声弹性成像 (SE) 的可行性。

方法：

对九名健康男性进行了以声耦合器为参考的 SE。通过将膝盖置于五个不同的屈曲角度，使用应变比（SR = 目标组织应变/参考应变）获得相对刚度测量值。较低的SR表示较高的相对刚度。

结果：

这项研究显示了可靠的测量结果，并且对于30°的SR具有良好的评分者内和评分者间一致性。随着膝关节屈曲度的增加，股四头肌腱的SR降低，表明相对刚度增加。在髌腱中，在 30° 和 60° 之间没有观察到显着差异。超过60°，相对刚度不断增加。

结论：

SE 是一种可重复且可行的工具，用于在常规临床环境中监测髌骨和股四头肌肌腱的相对刚度。