Website maintenance is planned from 8:00 a.m. CDT Saturday, July 27, through 9:00 p.m. CDT Sunday, July 28. Brief disruptions may occur during this time.
MRI is expensive and can lead to treatment delays. History and physical exam findings can establish the diagnosis of acute Achilles tendon ruptures in nearly all instances. Physicians should reserve MRI for atypical presentations and subacute or neglected ruptures when preoperative planning is needed. When physicians prefer to use the rupture gap (i.e., apposition of tendon ends) as criteria for management (surgery versus conservative treatment), dynamic ultrasound can be easily substituted.