Evaluation of the morphometric features of M. gastrocnemius and M. soleus with tendinopathy with MRI

Objective: The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body. M. soleus and fibers from the gastrocnemius it is called the triceps sureae and forms the Achilles tendon. The Achilles tendon transmits the mechanical force from the body to the ankle through the calcaneus bone. The condition that occurs as a result of loss of Achilles tendon functions and presence of tendon pain is called tendinopathy. In this study, m. soleus and it is aimed to evaluate the effects of morphometric features of gastrocnemius on tendinopathy by MRI. Material and Method: Our study is a retrospective study and was performed from images obtained from Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology. The muscles forming the Achilles tendon were measured by MRI. Results: Our study consisted of 121 male patients aged 18-71 years, with an average age of 42.1±15.1 years, and 107 female patients aged 18-70 years, with an average age of 41.3±13.2 years. In our study, a total of 228 ankle MRI examinations, 114 on the right and 114 on the left, were performed. Our study consists of two groups, patients with tendinopathy and the control group. No statistically significant difference was found in the measurements made in terms of gender and direction in the group with tendinopathy. In the measurements made in the control group, APM distance and MKPM distance were higher in men than in women in the comparison between genders. The APM distance was significantly increased in the tendinopathy group compared to the control group. Conclusion: Our research looks into the relationship between Achilles tendinopathy and the morphometric features of the Achilles tendon's origin muscles. In our study, it was found that free Achilles tendon length and tendon thickness increased in patients with tendinopathy compared to the control group.