Paratenon

Last revised by Joachim Feger on 18 Feb 2024

The paratenon is a membrane-like areolar structure consisting of loose connective tissue found around extraarticular tendons without a synovial sheath including Achilles tendon, quadriceps tendon, patella tendon, the distal biceps tendon, or the distal 1-2cm of the posterior tibial tendon. It allows the tendon to move more freely acting as a gliding mechanism towards the adjacent tissues and supplies the tendon with blood from neighboring vessels at several levels 1-3.

Radiographic features

Ultrasound

The paratenon can be sometimes seen as a delicate hyperechoic lining that encircles the tendon 4.

MRI

The paratenon might be visualized as a delicate hyperintense lining on fat-saturated sequences with a high in-plane resolution e.g. mDixon sequences.

Related pathology

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