Diagnostic value of shear-wave elastography for patellar tendinopathy in female volleyball and basketball athletes: a cross sectional case control study.

Objectives: We aim to investigate the accuracy of shear-wave elastography (SWE) in diagnosing patellar tendinopathy in female volleyball and basketball players. In addition, we compared different parts of the patellar tendon and investigated the effects of different knee angles on elastography measurements.

Methods: This cross-sectional case-control study evaluated 63 female athletes from professional basketball and volleyball teams (NCT06199583). Patellar tendinopathy diagnoses were made using clinical and ultrasonographic criteria. SWE measurements were taken at 30-degree knee flexion and extension. Rectangular regions of interest boxes were placed in three different parts of the tendon (proximal, middle, distal). The global SWE value was calculated by taking the mean of measurements in the three parts. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to identify significant cutoff points for SWE, and 2 × 2 tables were generated to determine sensitivity and specificity.

Results: Thirteen (20.6%) of the 63 athletes were diagnosed with patellar tendinopathy. The ROC curves have identified different cutoff scores for SWE measurements. The SWE score of 130.75 from the proximal part showed the highest sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 80% (p < 0.001) with a 4.45 likelihood ratio at the 30-degree knee flexion. The likelihood ratio is 1.5 at a 30-degree angle and 1.65 at a 0-degree angle when measuring the entire tendon, whereas other portions indicate a ratio ranging from 1.12 to 1.73.

Conclusions: Shear-wave elastography is a reliable evaluation method for diagnosing patellar tendinopathy. It has more accuracy when applied to the proximal part and at 30-degree knee flexion compared to measurements taken at knee extension and other parts of the tendon.