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Journal of Ultrasound

, Volume 17, Issue 2, pp 113–123 | Cite as

Ultrasound of tibialis anterior muscle and tendon: anatomy, technique of examination, normal and pathologic appearance

  • Ajay Varghese
  • Stefano BianchiEmail author
Original Article
First Online:

Abstract

Lesions of the tibialis anterior muscle and tendon are not frequently reported in international literature although pathology is not rare. Pathology can be spontaneous, associated with arthropathy or more generalized conditions. Clinical assessment may not be sufficient for distinguishing conditions like tendinopathy, tears, bursitis, etc. Therefore, imaging studies are necessary to plan appropriate therapy. US has a number of advantages, including widespread availability, absence of contraindications and low cost. It can also be used for dynamic studies of the muscle during contraction and relaxation. This article reviews the anatomy of the tibialis anterior, normal variants, the technique used for standard US examination of this muscle and tendon, its normal appearance on US and the sonographic characteristics of the most common lesions that affect it including tips on US-guided injections used for treatment.

Keywords

Tibialis anterior Muscle Tendon Sonography 

Riassunto

Le lesioni del muscolo tibiale anteriore e del suo tendine non hanno un’ampia eco nella letteratura internazionale, anche se la patologia del tibiale anteriore non è rara. Questa può essere spontanea, associata ad artropatia o a condizioni più generali. La clinica spesso può non essere sufficiente per distinguere lesioni quali la tendinopatia, le rotture, le borsiti, ecc., quindi può essere necessario ricorrere alla diagnostica per immagini, per un appropriato trattamento terapeutico. L’ecografia ha numerosi vantaggi quali l’ampia diffusione, l’assenza di controindicazioni, il basso costo. Può essere utilizzata per studi dinamici con muscoli in contrazione e rilasciamento. Questo articolo rivaluta l’anatomia del tibiale anteriore, le varianti del normale, l’aspetto ecografico normale e le caratteristiche ecografiche delle lesioni più frequenti, comprende una trattazione dei trattamenti terapeutici ecoguidati.

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Notes

Conflict of interest

Ajay Varghese and Stefano Bianchi declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and animal studies

The study described in this article did not include any procedures involving humans or animals.

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© Società Italiana di Ultrasonologia in Medicina e Biologia (SIUMB) 2013

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation TrustDorchesterUK
  2. 2.CIM SA Cabinet Imagerie MédicaleGenevaSwitzerland

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