Validation of an MRI-based classification of peroneus brevis tendon morphology: a four-type system with high inter-rater reliability.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Split tears of the peroneus brevis tendon are a common and often underrecognized cause of lateral ankle pain and instability in athletes. Although MRI is widely used for ankle assessment, no validated system exists for classifying normal morphological variation of the peroneus brevis tendon. This study aimed to validate an MRI-based classification system.

Methods

We analyzed 130 normal peroneus brevis tendons (power > 0.8, α = 0.05, effect size = 0.31) on consecutive 3T ankle MRI scans. Persons with fractures, ligament injuries, or peroneal tendon pathology were excluded. Each tendon was evaluated on a single standardized axial PD-weighted slice, selected just proximal to the lateral malleolus apex. Seven independent raters classified tendons into four types: gene

SUBMITTER: Zych R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12627172 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature