PATELLAR TENDON ULTRASONOGRAPHY AND JUMPERS KNEE IN FEMALE BASKETBALLPLAYERS - A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY

Objective: To compare patellar tendon sonographic findings at baseline and at follow-up in active female basketball players with and without symptoms of jumper's knee. We hypothesized that baseline sonographic morphology would not reliably predict prognosis and, in particular, th at it would not predict the need for surgery. Design: Prospective long itudinal study with 12-month minimum follow-up. Setting: Institutional elite athlete study group in Australia (Victorian Institute of Sport Tendon Study Group). Patients and participants: A total of 15 female e lite basketball players with 23 sonographically abnormal tendons and 1 5 matched control basketball players with 23 sonographically normal te ndons. Main outcome measures: Sonographic patellar tendon appearance a nd clinical assessment of symptoms of jumper's knee at baseline and fo llow-up. Dimensions of abnormal regions were measured. Results: At bas eline, the 23 subject tendons contained sonographic hypoechoic regions (six currently symptomatic, eight previously symptomatic only, and ni ne never symptomatic). At follow-up, the hypoechoic areas in seven ten dons had resolved (and caused no symptoms), the hypoechoic areas in 11 tendons had remained essentially the same size (five were symptomatic ), and the hypoechoic areas in five tendons had expanded (three sympto matic). At baseline, there were no differences between the mean +/- SD cross-sectional areas of the abnormalities in the tendons that subseq uently resolved (15.9 +/- 10.1 mm(2)) and those that remained unchange d (39.3 +/- 25.8) or expanded (25.3 +/- 12.5). The presence of a basel ine sonographic abnormality predicted symptoms of jumper's knee at fol low-up (p < 0.05), but the presence of symptoms of jumper's knee at ba seline also predicted symptoms at follow-up (p < 0.05). No subject or control missed any games or underwent surgical treatment. Conclusions: Patellar tendon sonographic hypoechoic areas can resolve, remain unch anged, or expand in active sports women without predicting symptoms of jumper's knee. Thus, symptoms were not directly related to sonographi c tendon morphology. Sonographic hypoechoic regions ought not to const itute per se an indication for surgery.