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Journal of Foot and Ankle Research
Published in: Journal of Foot and Ankle Research 1/2016

Open Access 01-12-2016 | Research

Quantitative ultrasound imaging of Achilles tendon integrity in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals: reliability and minimal detectable change

Authors: Marie-Josée Nadeau, Amélie Desrochers, Martin Lamontagne, Christian Larivière, Dany H. Gagnon

Published in: Journal of Foot and Ankle Research | Issue 1/2016

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Abstract

Background

Quantifying the integrity of the Achilles tendon (AT) is a rehabilitation challenge. Adopting quantitative ultrasound measurements (QUS measurements) of the AT could fill this gap by 1) evaluating the test-retest reliability and accuracy of QUS measurements of the AT; 2) determining the best protocol for collecting QUS measurements in clinical practice.

Methods

A total of 23 ATs with symptoms of Achilles tendinopathy and 63 asymptomatic ATs were evaluated. Eight images were recorded for each AT (2 visits × 2 evaluators × 2 images). Multiple sets of QUS measurements were taken: geometric (thickness, width, area), first-order statistics (computed from a grayscale histogram distribution: echogenicity, variance, skewness, kurtosis, entropy) and texture features (computed from co-occurrence matrices: contrast, energy, homogeneity). A generalizability study quantified the reliability and standard error of measurement (accuracy) of each QUS measurement, and a decision study identified the best measurement taking protocols.

Results

Geometric QUS measurements demonstrated excellent accuracy and reliability. QUS measurements computed from the grayscale histogram distribution revealed poor accuracy and reliability. QUS measurements derived from co-occurrence matrices showed variable accuracy and moderate to excellent reliability. In clinical practice, using an average of the results of three images collected by a single evaluator during a single visit is recommended.

Conclusions

The use of geometric QUS measurements enables quantification of AT integrity in clinical practice and research settings. More studies on QUS measurements derived from co-occurrence matrices are warranted.
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Metadata
Title
Quantitative ultrasound imaging of Achilles tendon integrity in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals: reliability and minimal detectable change
Authors
Marie-Josée Nadeau
Amélie Desrochers
Martin Lamontagne
Christian Larivière
Dany H. Gagnon
Publication date
01-12-2016
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Journal of Foot and Ankle Research / Issue 1/2016
Electronic ISSN: 1757-1146
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-016-0164-3

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