Ultrasound Can Be Useful Adjunct to Physical Exam for Acute Tendon Tears

Objective: To review assessments for acute tendon injuries using ultrasound. Discussion: Point-of-care ultrasound and portable ultrasound are increasing in popularity. Radiologists continue to play an important role in assessment of musculoskeletal injuries, such as acute tendon tears, with ultrasound, as there is lack of subspecialty training and personnel. The authors note that acute tendon injuries may be accompanied by pain, swelling, palpable defects, and limited range of motion. Operators should be aware to keep patient comfort in mind during ultrasound assessment with appropriate positioning of the patient and careful transducer pressure. For pectoralis major injuries, the authors note the bilaminar U-shaped configuration of the distal tendon with anterior fibers from the clavicular head and upper 3 to 4 sternal heads and the posterior fibers from the remaining sternal heads. Clavicular head fibers tend to have shorter distance from the insertion to the myotendinous junction, more...