Measuring Ultrasonographic Thickness of the Achilles Tendon Insertion is Less Reliable Than the Midportion in Healthy Tendons and Patients With Tendinopathy

Abstract

IntroductionUltrasound is the preferred imaging method in the diagnostic process of Achilles tendinopathy (AT). Ultrasound tissue characterization (UTC) is a frequently used, standardized and valid method to assess tendon geometry in AT patients. It is unknown whether UTC is reliable for measuring Achilles tendon thickness.The aim of the study was to assess intra‐ and inter‐rater reliability of Achilles tendon thickness measurements using UTC in both asymptomatic individuals and patients with AT, and to evaluate if the reliability of thickness measurements differs between the midportion and insertional area.MethodsExactly 50 patients with AT and 50 asymptomatic individuals were included. Using the conventional US and standardized UTC procedure maximum thickness was measured in the midportion and insertion region. To determine inter‐ and intra‐rater reliabilities, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used.ResultsThe ICC values for inter‐ and intra‐rater reliability were classified as “excellent,” for the AT group (0.93 [95% CI: 0.88–0.96] and 0.95 [0.92–0.97]) and asymptomatic participants (0.91 [0.87–0.94] and 0.94 [0.92–0.96]). The reliability of measuring tendon thickness in the midportion region was “excellent,” with both inter‐rater (0.97 [0.95–0.98]) and intra‐rater (0.98 [0.96–0.99]) ICC values indicating high levels of agreement. In the insertional region, ICC values for inter‐rater (0.79 [0.69–0.87]) and intra‐rater (0.89 [0.84–0.93]) reliability were “moderate to good.”ConclusionWe showed excellent reliability for measuring the US thickness of the midportion and good reliability of measuring the insertional region in patients with AT. Significantly lower ICCs were observed for the reliability of thickness measurements in the insertional region when compared with the midportion.