Dynamic Ultrasound Effective in Diagnosing Muscle Tears

Dynamic ultrasound of both the affected and contralateral normal area of the leg was performed. "Ultrasound is a rapid and radiation-free imaging modality available in all sports medicine emergency rooms. It is a very important tool to diagnose, follow-up, and document muscle tears for proper management,” said Ashok Kumar Nath, M.D., lead author of the study.

Of the 50 patients, 46 had muscle tears and/or hematomas in the thigh and calf regions. Thirty-two of those patients had clear-cut complete muscle tears surrounded by hematomas, and the remaining 14 patients had partial tears, appearing as hypoechoic subtle lesions with relaxed muscle, which looked like pseudo-tumors on contraction. According to the study, the healed tears appeared as highly reflective scar tissue.

"We are successfully performing dynamic sonography in muscular trauma, and our players have benefited tremendously in the management and follow-up of muscle tears,” said Dr. Nath. "If we find muscle tears with hematomas which need to be drained, we perform the drainage under ultrasound image guidance which is more accurate and scientific.”

The full findings of the study were presented on May 7, 2007 during the American Roentgen Ray Society's annual meeting in Orlando, FL, USA.