OBJECTIVES: To investigate the diagnostic performance of grey scale Ultrasound (US), power Doppler (PD) and US elastography for diagnosing @entity158 , and to establish their relationship with Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Patella (VISA-P) scores in a group of volleyball players with and without symptoms of @entity924 . DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Thirty-five volleyball players (70 patellar tendons) were recruited during a national university volleyball competition. Players were imaged with conventional US followed by elastography. The clinical findings of @entity158 were used as the reference standard for diagnosing @entity924 . In addition, all @entity1 completed the VISA-P questionnaires. RESULTS: Of the 70 patellar tendons, 40 (57.1%) were clinically painful. The diagnostic accuracy of grey scale US, PD and elastography were 60%, 50%, 62.9%, respectively, with sensitivity/specificity of 72.5%/43.3%, 12.5%/100%, and 70%/53.3%, respectively. Combined US elastography and grey scale imaging achieved 82.5% sensitivity, 33.3% specificity and 61.4% accuracy while routine combination technique of PD and grey scale imaging revealed 72.5% sensitivity, 43.3% specificity and 60.0% accuracy. Tendons in players categorized as soft on elastography had statistically significantly greater AP thickness (p<0.001) and lower VISA-P scores (p=0.004) than those categorized as hard. There was no significant association between grey scale US abnormalities (hypoechogenicities and/or fusiform swelling) and VISA-P scores (p=0.098). CONCLUSIONS: Soft tendon properties depicted by US elastography may be more related to @entity1109 compared to grey scale US abnormalities. The supplementation of US elastography to conventional US may enhance the sensitivity for diagnosing @entity924 in routine clinical practice.

A soft patellar tendon on ultrasound elastography is associated with XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['participants'] @entity924 :: ('MESH:D052256', 'Disease') :: ['patellar tendinopathy'] @entity1109 :: ('MESH:D012678', 'Disease') :: ['patellar tendon symptoms'] @entity158 :: ('MESH:D010146', 'Disease') :: ['painful patellar tendons', 'painful patellar tendinopathy']
@entity158 :: (MESH:D010146,Disease) :: ['pain and functional deficit in volleyball players']
