Shear wave and strain sonoelastography for the evaluation of the Achilles tendon during isometric contractions

Alessandro Schneebeli; Ilaria Fiorina; Chandra Bortolotto; Marco Barbero; Deborah Falla; Corrado Cescon; Maria Vittoria Raciti; Francesco Tarantino; Lorenzo Preda

doi:10.1186/s13244-021-00974-y

Shear wave and strain sonoelastography for the evaluation of the Achilles tendon during isometric contractions

Alessandro Schneebeli, Ilaria Fiorina, Chandra Bortolotto, Marco Barbero, Deborah Falla, Corrado Cescon, Maria Vittoria Raciti, Francesco Tarantino, Lorenzo Preda

Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Changes in mechanical loading as well as pathology can modify the Achilles tendon mechanical properties and therefore detection of these changes is relevant for the diagnosis and management of Achilles tendinopathy. The aim of this study was to evaluate strain and shear wave sonoelastography for their ability to detect changes in the Achilles tendon mechanical properties during a series of isometric contractions.

METHODS: Longitudinal sonoelastography images of the Achilles tendon were acquired from 20 healthy participants using four different ultrasound devices; two implementing strain sonoelastography technology (SE1, SE2) and two, shear wave elastography technology (SWE1, SWE2).

RESULTS: SE1 measured a decreasing strain ratio (tendon become harder) during the different contraction levels from 1.51 (0.92) to 0.33 (0.16) whereas SE2 mesaured a decreasing strain ratio from 1.08 (0.76) to 0.50 (0.32). SWE1 measured decreasing tendon stiffness during contractions of increasing intensity from 33.40 (19.61) to 16.19 (2.68) whereas SWE2 revealed increasing tendon stiffness between the first two contraction levels from 428.65 (131.5) kPa to 487.9 (121.5) kPa followed by decreasing stiffness for the higher contraction levels from 459.35 (113.48) kPa to 293.5 (91.18) kPa.

CONCLUSIONS: Strain elastography used with a reference material was able to detect elasticity changes between the different contraction levels whereas shear wave elastography was less able to detect changes in Achilles tendon stiffness when under load. Inconsistent results between the two technologies should be further investigated.

Original language	English
Article number	26
Number of pages	9
Journal	Insights into Imaging
Volume	12
Issue number	1
Early online date	17 Feb 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1186/s13244-021-00974-y
Publication status	Published - Dec 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank the staff and student of the Policlinico San Matteo for participating in the study.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).

Keywords

Achilles tendon
Shear wave elastography
Strain elastography

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

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SchneebeliA2021ShearFinal published version, 1.24 MBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

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@article{9198c046cf904099b6425ae4fc58a8bc,

title = "Shear wave and strain sonoelastography for the evaluation of the Achilles tendon during isometric contractions",

abstract = "OBJECTIVES: Changes in mechanical loading as well as pathology can modify the Achilles tendon mechanical properties and therefore detection of these changes is relevant for the diagnosis and management of Achilles tendinopathy. The aim of this study was to evaluate strain and shear wave sonoelastography for their ability to detect changes in the Achilles tendon mechanical properties during a series of isometric contractions.METHODS: Longitudinal sonoelastography images of the Achilles tendon were acquired from 20 healthy participants using four different ultrasound devices; two implementing strain sonoelastography technology (SE1, SE2) and two, shear wave elastography technology (SWE1, SWE2).RESULTS: SE1 measured a decreasing strain ratio (tendon become harder) during the different contraction levels from 1.51 (0.92) to 0.33 (0.16) whereas SE2 mesaured a decreasing strain ratio from 1.08 (0.76) to 0.50 (0.32). SWE1 measured decreasing tendon stiffness during contractions of increasing intensity from 33.40 (19.61) to 16.19 (2.68) whereas SWE2 revealed increasing tendon stiffness between the first two contraction levels from 428.65 (131.5) kPa to 487.9 (121.5) kPa followed by decreasing stiffness for the higher contraction levels from 459.35 (113.48) kPa to 293.5 (91.18) kPa.CONCLUSIONS: Strain elastography used with a reference material was able to detect elasticity changes between the different contraction levels whereas shear wave elastography was less able to detect changes in Achilles tendon stiffness when under load. Inconsistent results between the two technologies should be further investigated.",

keywords = "Achilles tendon, Shear wave elastography, Strain elastography",

author = "Alessandro Schneebeli and Ilaria Fiorina and Chandra Bortolotto and Marco Barbero and Deborah Falla and Corrado Cescon and Raciti, {Maria Vittoria} and Francesco Tarantino and Lorenzo Preda",

note = "Funding Information: We thank the staff and student of the Policlinico San Matteo for participating in the study. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s).",

year = "2021",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1186/s13244-021-00974-y",

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T1 - Shear wave and strain sonoelastography for the evaluation of the Achilles tendon during isometric contractions

AU - Schneebeli, Alessandro

AU - Fiorina, Ilaria

AU - Bortolotto, Chandra

AU - Barbero, Marco

AU - Falla, Deborah

AU - Cescon, Corrado

AU - Raciti, Maria Vittoria

AU - Tarantino, Francesco

AU - Preda, Lorenzo

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - OBJECTIVES: Changes in mechanical loading as well as pathology can modify the Achilles tendon mechanical properties and therefore detection of these changes is relevant for the diagnosis and management of Achilles tendinopathy. The aim of this study was to evaluate strain and shear wave sonoelastography for their ability to detect changes in the Achilles tendon mechanical properties during a series of isometric contractions.METHODS: Longitudinal sonoelastography images of the Achilles tendon were acquired from 20 healthy participants using four different ultrasound devices; two implementing strain sonoelastography technology (SE1, SE2) and two, shear wave elastography technology (SWE1, SWE2).RESULTS: SE1 measured a decreasing strain ratio (tendon become harder) during the different contraction levels from 1.51 (0.92) to 0.33 (0.16) whereas SE2 mesaured a decreasing strain ratio from 1.08 (0.76) to 0.50 (0.32). SWE1 measured decreasing tendon stiffness during contractions of increasing intensity from 33.40 (19.61) to 16.19 (2.68) whereas SWE2 revealed increasing tendon stiffness between the first two contraction levels from 428.65 (131.5) kPa to 487.9 (121.5) kPa followed by decreasing stiffness for the higher contraction levels from 459.35 (113.48) kPa to 293.5 (91.18) kPa.CONCLUSIONS: Strain elastography used with a reference material was able to detect elasticity changes between the different contraction levels whereas shear wave elastography was less able to detect changes in Achilles tendon stiffness when under load. Inconsistent results between the two technologies should be further investigated.

AB - OBJECTIVES: Changes in mechanical loading as well as pathology can modify the Achilles tendon mechanical properties and therefore detection of these changes is relevant for the diagnosis and management of Achilles tendinopathy. The aim of this study was to evaluate strain and shear wave sonoelastography for their ability to detect changes in the Achilles tendon mechanical properties during a series of isometric contractions.METHODS: Longitudinal sonoelastography images of the Achilles tendon were acquired from 20 healthy participants using four different ultrasound devices; two implementing strain sonoelastography technology (SE1, SE2) and two, shear wave elastography technology (SWE1, SWE2).RESULTS: SE1 measured a decreasing strain ratio (tendon become harder) during the different contraction levels from 1.51 (0.92) to 0.33 (0.16) whereas SE2 mesaured a decreasing strain ratio from 1.08 (0.76) to 0.50 (0.32). SWE1 measured decreasing tendon stiffness during contractions of increasing intensity from 33.40 (19.61) to 16.19 (2.68) whereas SWE2 revealed increasing tendon stiffness between the first two contraction levels from 428.65 (131.5) kPa to 487.9 (121.5) kPa followed by decreasing stiffness for the higher contraction levels from 459.35 (113.48) kPa to 293.5 (91.18) kPa.CONCLUSIONS: Strain elastography used with a reference material was able to detect elasticity changes between the different contraction levels whereas shear wave elastography was less able to detect changes in Achilles tendon stiffness when under load. Inconsistent results between the two technologies should be further investigated.

KW - Achilles tendon

KW - Shear wave elastography

KW - Strain elastography

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DO - 10.1186/s13244-021-00974-y

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C2 - 33598763

SN - 1869-4101

VL - 12

JO - Insights into Imaging

JF - Insights into Imaging

IS - 1

M1 - 26

ER -

Shear wave and strain sonoelastography for the evaluation of the Achilles tendon during isometric contractions

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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