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<h2><strong>Title:</strong> <a href="https://umem.org/educational_pearls/4655/">POCUS for Achilles Tendon</a></h2>
<p><strong>Category:</strong> <a href="https://umem.org/educational_pearls/?category=36">Ultrasound</a></p>
<p><strong>Keywords:</strong> POCUS; MSK; Achilles tendon <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&term=POCUS;+MSK;+Achilles+tendon+%22last+5+years%22[dp]&db=pubmed&pubmedfilters=true" target="_blank">(PubMed Search)<i class="icon-share" title="Opens in new window"></i></a> </p>
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<strong>Posted:</strong> 11/18/2024 by <a href="https://umem.org/educational_pearls/?author=1403">Alexis Salerno, MD</a>
<br/>
<a href="https://umem.org/profiles/faculty/1403/">Click here to contact Alexis Salerno, MD</a>
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<p>Achilles tendon injuries are commonly encountered in the emergency department. While MRIs are often unavailable, POCUS offers a quick and effective alternative for evaluating such injuries. In one review, the sensitivity of ultrasound for detecting complete Achilles tendon ruptures was 94.8%.</p>
<p><strong>For the POCUS evaluation of the Achilles tendon:</strong></p>
<p>- Place the patient in a prone position with their foot relaxed.</p>
<p>-Begin distally at the tendon’s insertion on the calcaneus and scan proximally, keeping the probe marker oriented toward the patient’s head.</p>
<p>-Next, obtain a transverse view by rotating the probe marker toward the patient’s right side.</p>
<p>-You can even do a sonographic Thompson’s Test!</p>
<p><strong>Findings:</strong></p>
<p>Complete Rupture: Displays as a full disruption of the tendon fibers.</p>
<p>Partial Tear: Shows intact tendon tissue with surrounding edema.</p>
<p>Tendinitis: Appears as a thickened tendon with increased vascularity on color Doppler imaging. </p>
<p><img src="https://umem.org/files/uploads/content/pearls/AT_injury-673bcdf30b6c3.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<h3>References</h3>
<p>Aminlari A, Stone J, McKee R, Subramony R, Nadolski A, Tolia V, Hayden SR. Diagnosing Achilles Tendon Rupture with Ultrasound in Patients Treated Surgically: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Emerg Med. 2021 Nov;61(5):558-567. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2021.09.008.</p>
<h3>View this pearl on the University of Maryland, Department of Emergency Medicine's website: <a href="https://umem.org/educational_pearls/4655/">https://umem.org/educational_pearls/4655/</a></h3>
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