Evaluation of the Mechanical Behavior of the Patellar and Semitendinosus Tendons Using Supersonic Shear-wave Imaging (SSI) Elastography and Tensile Tests

Abstract

Objective

To analyze the mechanical properties of the patellar (PT) and semitendinosus (ST) tendons from fresh-frozen human cadavers from a tissue bank using supersonic shear-wave imaging (SSI) elastography and tensile tests.

Methods

We tested seven PT and five ST samples on a traction machine and performed their simultaneous assessment through SSI. The measurements enabled the comparison of the mechanical behavior of the tendons using the stress x strain curve and shear modulus (μ) at rest. In addition, we analyzed the stress x μ relationship under tension and tested the relationship between these parameters. The statistical analysis of the results used unpaired t-tests with Welch correction, the Pearson correlation, and linear regression for the Young modulus (E) estimation.

Results

The μ values for the PT and ST at rest were of 58.86 ± 5.226 kPa and 124.3 ± 7.231 kPa respectively, and this difference was statistically significant. The correlation coefficient between stress and μ for the PT and ST was very strong. The calculated E for the PT and ST was of 19.97 kPa and 124.8 kPa respectively, with a statistically significant difference.

Conclusion

The ST was stiffer than the PT in the traction tests and SSI evaluations. The μ value was directly related to the stress imposed on the tendon.

Clinical relevance

The present is an evaluation of the mechanical properties of the tendons most used as grafts in knee ligament reconstruction surgeries.

Keywords
elasticity imaging techniques; patellar tendon; Young's modulus