Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4225782 | European Journal of Radiology | 2012 | 6 Pages |
PurposeAchilles tendinopathy has been reported to be frequently associated with increasing volume of the tendon. This work aims at reliable and accurate volumetric quantification of the Achilles tendon using a newly developed contour detection algorithm applied on high resolution MRI data sets recorded at 3 T.Materials and methodsA total of 26 healthy tendons and 4 degenerated tendons were examined for this study. Automated identification (AI) of tendon boundaries was performed in transverse slices with isotropic resolution (0.8 mm) gained with a T2-weighted SPACE sequence at 3 T. For AI a snake algorithm was applied and compared to manual tracing (MT).ResultsAI was feasible in all examined tendons without further correction. AI of both tendons was performed in each participant within 2 min (2 × 37 slices) compared to MT lasting 20 min. MT and AI showed excellent agreement and correlation (R2 = 0.99, p < 0.0001). AI provided a reduction of measurement error (0.4 cm3 vs. 0.5 cm3) and coefficient of variation (1% vs. 2%).DiscussionCompared to MT the AI allows assessment of tendon volumes in highly resolved MRI data in a more accurate and reliable time-saving way. Therefore automated volume detection is seen as a helpful clinical tool for evaluation of small volumetric changes of the Achilles tendon.