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

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.