Ultrasound (US) and MRI are commonly used in the clinical setting to confirm the presence and location of tendon thickening or other structural change and associated findings (Scott et al., 2013). However, although their clinical utility, both US and MRI are subject to artefacts and may reveal poor interobserver and intraobserver reliability. In comparison with MRI, ultrasound has the accuracy and sensitivity of US (0.63–0.83 and 0.68–0.87, respectively) and MRI (0.68–0.70 and 0.50–0.57, respectively) regarding the detection of tendinopathy. Ultrasound appears to be slightly more sensitive but less specific than MRI for detecting tendinosis and significantly more sensitive for detecting calcific tendonitis (Hodgson, O’Connor and Grainger, 2012). In addition, in ultrasound, operator experience and transducer frequency can markedly affect accuracy and it has an advantage over MRI because of the superior spatial resolution of ultrasound imaging (Hodgson, O’Connor and Grainger, 2012; Scott et
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As the process progresses, the fibrillar pattern is lost and tendon becomes hypoechoic, with further swelling. Discrete focal hypoechoic areas may represent small partial tears, which may not extend to the tendon surface. In case a defect is present on the tendon surface, dynamic evaluation should be performed to rule out partial tear (Stevic and Dodic, 2013). Ultrasound with Doppler may also be more advantageous as it has the capacity to visualize the areas of increased blood flow(Scott et al., 2013). Increased Doppler flow can point to hyperaemia that can be associated with tendinopathy as well as the presence of neovascularity in the degenerated tendon which has been suggested as a cause of pain, but this sign should not be a rule for outcome prediction (Stevic and Dodic,
As the process progresses, the fibrillar pattern is lost and tendon becomes hypoechoic, with further swelling. Discrete focal hypoechoic areas may represent small partial tears, which may not extend to the tendon surface. In case a defect is present on the tendon surface, dynamic evaluation should be performed to rule out partial tear (Stevic and Dodic, 2013). Ultrasound with Doppler may also be more advantageous as it has the capacity to visualize the areas of increased blood flow(Scott et al., 2013). Increased Doppler flow can point to hyperaemia that can be associated with tendinopathy as well as the presence of neovascularity in the degenerated tendon which has been suggested as a cause of pain, but this sign should not be a rule for outcome prediction (Stevic and Dodic,