Ultrasound in the diagnosis of posterior tibial tendon pathology.

Abstract

We retrospectively evaluated the effectiveness of ultrasonography as a diagnostic tool for investigating pathology in the posterior tibial tendon by comparing the preoperative ultrasonograms for 17 patients with their recorded surgical findings. In all cases, the surgical findings confirmed the ultrasonographic diagnoses: 3 inflammations, 4 partial tears, and 10 ruptures. Interestingly, two ruptures had been undiagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging. Ultrasonography, which seems to be a reliable means of visualizing the extent of pathology of the symptomatic posterior tibial tendon, may be a valuable tool in surgical planning.