Sonography of traumatic quadriceps tendon tears with surgical correlation

OBJECTIVES: Using surgical correlation as the reference standard, the purpose of this study was to assess the ability of sonography to detect quadriceps tendon tears that require surgical treatment (high-grade partial tears and complete ruptures). METHODS: Two hundred thirty-nine consecutive sonographic reports of the knee (May 2001 to October 2008) with subsequent surgical correlation were retrospectively reviewed for surgical intervention on the quadriceps tendon. All sonograms were blindly and retrospectively reviewed. Surgical findings were compared with results from the consensus review. Results from the original sonographic reports (nonretrospective interpretation) were also compared with the surgical findings. RESULTS: On the retrospective consensus review, the sensitivity (23 of 23), specificity (16 of 16), and accuracy (39 of 39) were 100% for identifying high-grade partial tears or complete ruptures versus a normal quadriceps tendon. For the original, nonretrospective sonographic reports, 22 of 23 high-grade partial tears or complete ruptures (96%) were correctly diagnosed. CONCLUSIONS: Sonography is an effective tool for identifying quadriceps tendon tears that require surgical treatment (high-grade partial tears and complete ruptures)