A practical approach to magnetic resonance imaging of normal and injured tendons: pictorial essay

The imaging of tendon injury can be troublesome from a number of perspectives. First, tendon injuries are extremely common, accounting for 30%–50% of all sports injuries, and are, therefore, seen frequently at imaging centres. Second, tendons have a unique histology and ultrastructure with a number of normal variations that can mimic pathologic conditions, of which the radiologist should be aware. Finally, although full-thickness tears are easily diagnosed both clinically and with imaging, imaging findings for partial tears overlap those of tendinosis and those of normal tendons, and this can be very troublesome for radiologists, clinicians and patients alike. The objective of this article is to develop a practical approach to the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and analysis of tendons, both normal and pathologic, emphasizing the common features at different anatomic locations