Overview of continuous, ordinal and dichotomous sonographic variables across time
| Sonographic feature | Baseline | 45-Week follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| Tendon thickness (mm±SD) | 8.1±2.3 | 8.1±2.2 |
| Area of hypoechoic region (mm2±SD) | 185.4±86.5 | 178.3±80.4 |
| Number of tendons with intratendinous tear (n) | 22 | 10 |
| Mean length of intratendinous tear (mm±SD) | 6.1±5.2 | 6.8±7.1 |
| Echotexture rating (n) | ||
| Grade 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Grade 1 | 7 | 17 |
| Grade 2 | 28 | 25 |
| Grade 3 | 13 | 5 |
| Neovascularity rating (n) | ||
| Grade 0 | 12 | 19 |
| Grade 1 | 13 | 14 |
| Grade 2 | 20 | 13 |
| Grade 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Intratendinous calcification (n) | 21 | 21 |
| Cortical irregularity (n) | 1 | 1 |
The echotexture rating used a 0–3 ordinal scale on which ‘0’ represented normal echogenicity and fibrillar pattern, ‘1’ represented predominantly signs of an irregular collagen fibre pattern coupled with a slightly weakened echo signal, ‘2’ represented significant hypoechoic regions and fibre irregularity and ‘3’ represented marked hypoechogenicity with anechoic regions. The neovascularity rating used the following scale: ‘0’ represented no blood vessels visible; ‘1’ indicated mild (one to two vessels extending into tendon); ‘2’ moderate (three to four neovessels) and ‘3’ marked (more than four vessels extending into the tendon).