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Ultrasound of sports injuries of the musculoskeletal system: gender differences

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Abstract

In recent years, women and girls are increasing their sport participation, and female sports are becoming more challenging. While more women and girls are participating in sports, there is still a lack of information about gender-specific lesions. We will therefore evaluate gender differences in sports injuries, analyzing the five sports and sporting activities that are most widespread in the western world: running, soccer, basketball, water sports, and winter sports. The ability to make correct ultrasonographic diagnoses in sports injuries is improving as the technology is advancing. Ultrasonography demonstrates tissue structure with two-dimensional grayscale images, while blood flow can be visualized with color and power Doppler. Furthermore, ultrasonography is the preferred imaging modality for studying soft-tissue lesions dynamically. High-quality diagnostic ultrasound cannot be performed without the knowledge of the underlying clinical background, and an understanding of gender-specific injuries and mechanisms of injuries is therefore important for assessing proper diagnostic and treatment guidelines tailored to phenotypic differences in professional and amateur athletes between male and female.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Studio di ecografia medica e terapia del dolore, 6805, Mezzovico Lugano, Switzerland

    Guido Robotti

  2. Istituto Radiologico Collegiata, 6512, Bellinzona, Switzerland

    Guido Robotti

  3. UniLudes, 6900, Pazzallo Lugano, Switzerland

    Guido Robotti

  4. Istituto di Radiologia, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy

    Ferdinando Draghi & Chandra Bortolotto

  5. Studio di Medicina interna, manipolativa e terapia del dolore, 6805, Mezzovico Lugano, Switzerland

    Maria Grazia Canepa

Authors
  1. Guido Robotti
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  2. Ferdinando Draghi
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  3. Chandra Bortolotto
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  4. Maria Grazia Canepa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chandra Bortolotto.

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Conflict of interest

CB is consultant for Bracco Imaging Italia and Doc Congress. The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Robotti, G., Draghi, F., Bortolotto, C. et al. Ultrasound of sports injuries of the musculoskeletal system: gender differences. J Ultrasound 23, 279–285 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-020-00438-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-020-00438-x

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