Abstract
Achilles tendinopathy has been reported to be frequently associated with increasing volume of the tendon. This work aims at reliable and accurate volumetric quantification of the Achilles tendon using a newly developed contour detection algorithm applied on high resolution MRI data sets recorded at 3T. A total of 26 healthy tendons and 4 degenerated tendons were examined for this study. Automated identification (AI) of tendon boundaries was performed in transverse slices with isotropic resolution (0.8mm) gained with a T2-weighted SPACE sequence at 3T. For AI a snake algorithm was applied and compared to manual tracing (MT). AI was feasible in all examined tendons without further correction. AI of both tendons was performed in each participant within 2 min (2 × 37 slices) compared to MT lasting 20 min. MT and AI showed excellent agreement and correlation (R(2) = 0.99, p<0.0001). AI provided a reduction of measurement error (0.4 cm(3) vs. 0.5 cm(3)) and coefficient of variation (1% vs. 2%). Compared to MT the AI allows assessment of tendon volumes in highly resolved MRI data in a more accurate and reliable time-saving way. Therefore automated volume detection is seen as a helpful clinical tool for evaluation of small volumetric changes of the Achilles tendon.
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