Shrapnel lesion of the Achilles tendon: diagnosis by ultrasonography

A 25-year-old patient, a soldier in a fighting unit with shrapnel lesion of the Achilles tendon is described. Low kilovoltage radiography and xeroradiography only outline the silhouette of the tendon. Sonography of the Achilles tendon demonstrated the lesion. The purpose of this report is to investigate the usefulness of soft tissue real-time ultrasonography for diagnosis of injuries in the Achilles region with emphasis on detection of foreign bodies. Sonography is valuable in the diagnosis of various lesions of the Achilles tendon and is very useful in detecting foreign body lesions.