RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To observe the imaging features of focus of knee joint tendon in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) by musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) technique. METHODS: One hundred KOA patients and 100 healthy subjects were included. All the KOA patients were palpated by the sequence of foot yangming meridian, foot shaoyang meridian, foot taiyang meridian and foot three yin-meridians, and the focus of knee tendon and its frequency were recorded by MSUS technique. The top-5 focus of knee tendon of KOA patients and the corresponding focus of knee tendon of healthy subjects were selected as the observation sites to compare the differences of thickness of ligament and tendon soft tissue in the extension and flexion positions of the knee joint. RESULTS: The top-5 focus of knee tendon of KOA patients were located in medial inferior patella, medial tibial condyle, inferior patella, Zusanlici and Hedingci. The thickness of ligaments and tendons in extension and flexion positions in KOA patients were thicker than that in healthy subjects (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The focus of knee joint tendon in KOA patients shows significantly thickened musculoskeletal imaging features.
