Diagnostic performance of high-resolution ultrasound in pre- and postoperative evaluation of the hand tendons injuries

Abstract

Abstract Background Hand tendon injuries are recognized clinical entities that are frequently seen. Clinical examinations usually warrant radiological correlative studies for confirmation and as a postoperative screening test. Here is a prospective observational cohort study enrolling 30 patients who were diagnosed clinically to have hand tendon injuries either pre- or postoperative; their ages were ranging from 5 to 64 years with a mean ± SD of 31.43 ± 12.19 years; 23 male patients (76.7%) and 7 female patients (23.3%) were evaluated by high-resolution ultrasound examination and a correlative evaluation was done by either intra-operative assessment or MRI study as gold standards. Results High-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) findings were binned into seventeen cases (56%) that had tendon tears, of which 10 cases (33.3%) had a complete tear and 7 cases (23.3%) had a partial tear. Postoperative tendon integrity was present in 13 cases (43.3%), a tendon callus was found in 2 cases (6.66%), and a postoperative abnormal motion on the dynamic study was present in 15 cases (50%). Intra-tendinous foreign bodies were detected in two cases (6.66%), a gap between the torn ends was found in 10 cases (33.3%), and re-tear (rupture) of the repaired tendons was present in four cases (13.3%). Coexistent nerve injuries were seen in two cases (6.66%); for the forementioned findings, HRUS had gained high accuracy measures as correlated to the gold standards (100% sensitivity and 100% specificity). Conclusion High-resolution ultrasound serves as a highly accurate potential diagnostic modality for preoperative evaluation of hand tendon injuries and the postoperative follow-up.