ULTRASOUND IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF POSTERIOR TIBIAL TENDON PATHOLOGY

We retrospectively evaluated the effectiveness of ultrasonography as a diagnostic tool for investigating pathology in the posterior tibial t endon by comparing the preoperative ultrasonograms for 17 patients wit h their recorded surgical findings. In all cases, the surgical finding s confirmed the ultrasonographic diagnoses: 3 inflammations, 4 partial tears, and 10 ruptures. Interestingly, two ruptures had been undiagno sed by magnetic resonance imaging. Ultrasonography, which seems to be a reliable means of visualizing the extent of pathology of the symptom atic posterior tibial tendon, may be a valuable tool in surgical plann ing.