Ultrasound does not provide reliable results for the measurement of the patellar tendon cross sectional area

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1278-1282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonis Ekizos ◽  
Fyllis Papatzika ◽  
Georgios Charcharis ◽  
Sebastian Bohm ◽  
Falk Mersmann ◽  
...  
2008 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 805-810 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Couppé ◽  
M. Kongsgaard ◽  
P. Aagaard ◽  
P. Hansen ◽  
J. Bojsen-Moller ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was to examine patellar tendon (PT) size and mechanical properties in subjects with a side-to-side strength difference of ≥15% due to sport-induced loading. Seven elite fencers and badminton players were included. Cross-sectional area (CSA) of the PT obtained from MRI and ultrasonography-based measurement of tibial and patellar movement together with PT force during isometric contractions were used to estimate mechanical properties of the PT bilaterally. We found that distal tendon and PT, but not mid-tendon, CSA were greater on the lead extremity compared with the nonlead extremity (distal: 139 ± 11 vs. 116 ± 7 mm2; mid-tendon: 85 ± 5 vs. 77 ± 3 mm2; proximal: 106 ± 7 vs. 83 ± 4 mm2; P < 0.05). Distal tendon CSA was greater than proximal and mid-tendon CSA on both the lead and nonlead extremity ( P < 0.05). For a given common force, stress was lower on the lead extremity (52.9 ± 4.8 MPa) compared with the nonlead extremity (66.0 ± 8.0 MPa; P < 0.05). PT stiffness was also higher in the lead extremity (4,766 ± 716 N/mm) compared with the nonlead extremity (3,494 ± 446 N/mm) ( P < 0.05), whereas the modulus did not differ (lead 2.27 ± 0.27 GPa vs. nonlead 2.16 ± 0.28 GPa) at a common force. These data show that a habitual loading is associated with a significant increase in PT size and mechanical properties.


2013 ◽  
Vol 114 (8) ◽  
pp. 998-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mette Hansen ◽  
Christian Couppe ◽  
Christina S. E. Hansen ◽  
Dorthe Skovgaard ◽  
Vuokko Kovanen ◽  
...  

Sex differences exist with regards to ligament and tendon injuries. Lower collagen synthesis has been observed in exercising women vs. men, and in users of oral contraceptives (OC) vs. nonusers, but it is unknown if OC will influence tendon biomechanics of women undergoing regular training. Thirty female athletes (handball players, 18–30 yr) were recruited: 15 long-term users of OC (7.0 ± 0.6 yr) and 15 nonusers (>5 yr). Synchronized values of patellar tendon elongation (obtained by ultrasonography) and tendon force were sampled during ramped isometric knee extensor maximum voluntary contraction to estimate mechanical tendon properties. Furthermore, tendon cross-sectional area and length were measured from MRI images, and tendon biopsies were obtained for analysis of tendon fibril characteristics and collagen cross-linking. Overall, no difference in tendon biomechanical properties, tendon fibril characteristics, or collagen cross-linking was observed between the OC users and nonusers, or between the different phases of the menstrual cycle. In athletes, tendon cross-sectional area in the preferred jumping leg tended to be larger than that in the contralateral leg ( P = 0.09), and a greater absolute ( P = 0.01) and normalized tendon stiffness ( P = 0.02), as well as a lower strain ( P = 0.04), were observed in the jumping leg compared with the contralateral leg. The results indicate that long-term OC use or menstrual phases does not influence structure or mechanical properties of the patellar tendon in female team handball athletes.


2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 367-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Standley ◽  
M. P. Harber ◽  
J. D. Lee ◽  
A. R. Konopka ◽  
S. W. Trappe ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 68 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 371-375
Author(s):  
Miroslav Milankov ◽  
Mirko Obradovic ◽  
Miodrag Vranjes ◽  
Zlatko Budinski

Introduction. Not much has changed in the way the bone-patellar tendon-bone graft is prepared before implantation. We present a modified bone-patellar tendon-bone graft preparation technique by implying the increased cross-sectional area. Material and Methods. Measurements of bone-patellar tendon-bone graft were made during the reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament in 93 male patients. The bone part of bone-patellar tendon-bone graft 10 mm wide and the tendon part 12-14 mm wide was placed on the holder with a handle in a way which allowed sewing the edges of the patellar tendon in a shape of a tube. The circumference of the central part of the graft was measured using a suture tightened around the graft. The diameters of the circle and cross-sectional areas were then calculated using geometrical calculation. Results. After preparation of the bone-patellar tendon-bone graft, the following measures were recorded: the circumference of 30 mm, the diameter of 9.55 mm, and the cross-sectional area of 72 mm2 in 9 patients; the circumference of 31mm, the diameter of 9.87 mm, and the cross-sectional area of 76 mm2 in 15 patients, and the circumference of 32 mm, the diameter of 10.19 mm, and the cross-sectional area of 82 mm2 in 69 patients. Conclusion. For the average thickness (3-5 mm) and width (10 mm) of the patellar tendon graft, the cross-sectional area will be 30-50 mm2. The modified bone-patellar tendon-bone graft preparation technique made it possible to increase its cross-sectional area to 71-81 mm2.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie G. Cone ◽  
Hope E. Piercy ◽  
Emily P. Lambeth ◽  
Hongyu Ru ◽  
Jorge A. Piedrahita ◽  
...  

AbstractPrior studies have analyzed growth of musculoskeletal tissues between species or across body segments; however, little research has assessed the differences in similar tissues within a single joint. Here we studied changes in the length and cross-sectional area of four ligaments and tendons, (anterior cruciate ligament, patellar tendon, medial collateral ligament, lateral collateral ligament) in the tibiofemoral joint of female Yorkshire pigs through high-field magnetic resonance imaging throughout growth. Tissue lengths increased by 4-to 5-fold from birth to late adolescence across the tissues while tissue cross-sectional area increased by 10-20-fold. The anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament showed allometric growth favoring change in length over change in cross-sectional area while the patellar tendon and medial collateral ligament grow in an isometric manner. Additionally, changes in the length and cross-sectional area of the anterior cruciate ligament did not increase as much as in the other ligaments and tendon of interest. Overall, these findings suggest that musculoskeletal soft tissue morphometry can vary within tissues of similar structure and within a single joint during post-natal growth.


1999 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Yamamoto ◽  
K. Hayashi ◽  
F. Hayashi ◽  
K. Yasuda ◽  
K. Kaneda

Effects of the overstressing induced by the harvest of grafts from the patellar tendon on the mechanical properties and morphometry of remaining tendon were studied using a rabbit model. The width of the patellar tendon was reduced by one-fourth or one-half equally removing the medial and lateral portions; by this surgery, the cross-sectional area was decreased by 25 or 50 percent from the original area. After all the rabbits were allowed unrestricted activities in cages for 3 to 12 weeks, their patellar tendons were harvested for mechanical and histological studies. The one-fourth removal induced no significant changes in the mechanical properties, but significantly increased the cross-sectional area. In the case of one-half removal, tensile strength and tangent modulus did not change in some tendons, although the cross-sectional area increased significantly. In the other central half tendons, mechanical strength decreased markedly, while the cross-sectional area increased; hypercellular areas and breakage of collagen bundles were observed in these tendons. These results indicate that the patellar tendon has an ability of functionally adapting to overstressing by changing the cross-sectional area, while keeping the mechanical properties unchanged, if the extent of overstressing is less than 30 percent.


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