Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between tendon micro-morphology quantified from a sonogram and tendon mechanical characteristics measured in vivo. Nineteen adults (nine with unilateral Achilles tendinosis) participated. A commercial ultrasound scanner was used to capture longitudinal B-mode ultrasound images from the mid-portion of bilateral Achilles tendons and a custom image analysis program was used to analyze the spatial frequency content of manually defined regions of interest; in particular, the average peak spatial frequency of the regions of interest was acquired. In addition, a dynamometer and a motion analysis system indirectly measured the tendon mechanical (stiffness) and material (elastic modulus) properties. The peak spatial frequency correlated with tendon stiffness (r = 0.74, p = 0.02) and elastic modulus (r = 0.65, p = 0.05) in degenerated tendons, but not healthy tendons. This is the first study relating the mechanical characteristics of degenerated human Achilles tendon using a non-invasive micro-morphology analysis approach.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 664-673 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 1 2016 |
Keywords
- Elastic modulus
- Stiffness
- Tendon mechanics
- Tissue imaging
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiological and Ultrasound Technology
- Biophysics
- Acoustics and Ultrasonics