Skeletal Radiology

, Volume 44, Issue 7, pp 1051–1056 | Cite as

Partial semitendinosus tendon tear in a young athlete: a case report and review of the distal semitendinosus anatomy

  • Lakshmanan Sivasundaram
  • George R. MatcukJr.
  • Eric A. White
  • George F. Rick HatchIII
  • Dakshesh B. Patel
Case Report
First Online:
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:

Abstract

Distal semitendinosus tears have been infrequently reported in the radiology literature, and a detailed description of the anatomy and imaging features of these injuries is lacking. The semitendinosus tendon is clinically relevant, as it is frequently grafted in knee ligament reconstructions and plays an important role in performing competitive activities. We present a case of a 31-year old man who developed a partial semitendinosus tear during competitive training. This case highlights the common clinical and imaging findings found with distal semitendinosus tears, and explores the various modalities available to treat this injury. We also review the clinically pertinent anatomy of the distal semitendinosus tendon and discuss the pitfalls that musculoskeletal radiologists may encounter, to avoid misdiagnosing these rare injuries.

Keywords

Distal semitendinosus injury Distal hamstring injury Pes anserinus injury 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

References

  1. 1.
    Ahmad CS, Redler LH, Ciccotti MG, Maffulli N, Longo UG, Bradley J. Evaluation and management of hamstring injuries. Am J Sports Med. 2013;41(12):2933–47.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  2. 2.
    Rubin DA. Imaging diagnosis and prognostication of hamstring injuries. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2012;199(3):525–33.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  3. 3.
    Schache AG, Wrigley TV, Baker R, Pandy MG. Biomechanical response to hamstring muscle strain injury. Gait Posture. 2009;29(2):332–8.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. 4.
    De Smet AA, Best TM. MR imaging of the distribution and location of acute hamstring injuries in athletes. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2000;174(2):393–9.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  5. 5.
    Cooper DE, Conway JE. Distal semitendinosus ruptures in elite-level athletes: low success rates of nonoperative treatment. Am J Sports Med. 2010;38(6):1174–8.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  6. 6.
    Schilders E, Bismil Q, Sidhom S, Robinson P, Barwick T, Talbot C. Partial rupture of the distal semitendinosus tendon treated by tenotomy–a previously undescribed entity. Knee. 2006;13(1):45–7.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  7. 7.
    Ropiak CR, Bosco JA. Hamstring injuries. Bull NYU Hosp Jt Dis. 2012;70(1):41–8.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  8. 8.
    David A, Buchholz J, Muhr G. Tear of the biceps femoris tendon. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg Archiv fur orthopadische und Unfall-Chirurgie. 1994;113(6):351–2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. 9.
    Kusma M, Seil R, Kohn D. Isolated avulsion of the biceps femoris insertion-injury patterns and treatment options: a case report and literature review. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg Archiv fur orthopadische und Unfall-Chirurgie. 2007;127(9):777–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. 10.
    McGoldrick F, Colville J. Spontaneous rupture of the biceps femoris. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg Archiv fur orthopadische und Unfall-Chirurgie. 1990;109(4):234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. 11.
    Koulouris G, Connell D. Evaluation of the hamstring muscle complex following acute injury. Skeletal Radiol. 2003;32(10):582–9.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  12. 12.
    Warren LF, Marshall JL. The supporting structures and layers on the medial side of the knee: an anatomical analysis. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1979;61(1):56–62.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  13. 13.
    Mochizuki T, Akita K, Muneta T, Sato T. Pes anserinus: layered supportive structure on the medial side of the knee. Clin Anat. 2004;17(1):50–4.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  14. 14.
    Candal-Couto JJ, Deehan DJ. The accessory bands of gracilis and semitendinosus: an anatomical study. Knee. 2003;10(4):325–8.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  15. 15.
    Pagnani MJ, Warner JJ, O’Brien SJ, Warren RF. Anatomic considerations in harvesting the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons and a technique of harvest. Am J Sports Med. 1993;21(4):565–71.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  16. 16.
    Reina N, Abbo O, Gomez-Brouchet A, Chiron P, Moscovici J, Laffosse JM. Anatomy of the bands of the hamstring tendon: how can we improve harvest quality? Knee. 2013;20(2):90–5.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  17. 17.
    Yasin MN, Charalambous CP, Mills SP, Phaltankar PM. Accessory bands of the hamstring tendons: a clinical anatomical study. Clin Anat. 2010;23(7):862–5.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  18. 18.
    Koulouris G, Connell D. Hamstring muscle complex: an imaging review. Radiographics. 2005;25(3):571–86.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  19. 19.
    Beltran L, Ghazikhanian V, Padron M, Beltran J. The proximal hamstring muscle-tendon-bone unit: a review of the normal anatomy, biomechanics, and pathophysiology. Eur J Radiol. 2012;81(12):3772–9.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© ISS 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of RadiologyKeck School of Medicine of USCLos AngelesUSA
  2. 2.Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryKeck School of Medicine of USCLos AngelesUSA

Personalised recommendations