Diagnostic and Therapeutic Role of Peroneal Tenography in Chronic Peroneal Disorders: A Service Evaluation

Purpose The aims were to investigate if there was a diagnostic difference between peroneal tenography and MRI to guide the management of peroneal tendon disorders with the secondary aim to investigate the therapeutic effect of peroneal tenography. Methods A retrospective study was carried out over a 75-month period, including all patients over 18 years who presented with ankle injuries to identify patients with peroneal tendon disorders. Symptomatic patients were investigated using MRI and peroneal tenography. This was also compared with intraoperative findings of peroneal tendons. Fischer's exact test was used to determine the diagnostic difference between peroneal tenography as compared to MRI. The therapeutic effect of peroneal tenography was also calculated. Results The cohort consisted of 27 patients (20 females and 7 males), with the median age being 50 years and the mean BMI being 31.9. The follow-up period after the final management plan was 12 months before discharge from care. Findings from peroneal tenography were more likely to match intraoperative findings than MRI when compared with intraoperative findings (p=0.033). Fifteen out of the 27 patients who underwent peroneal tenography reported adequate pain relief following the procedure. Conclusion Peroneal tenography is more sensitive and specific in determining peroneal tendon disorders as compared to MRI and plays a role as a therapeutic intervention in ankle pain management for these patients.