Range of motion and arthrography in the frozen shoulder

The relationship between the range of motion and the arthrographic measurements were assessed in 91 patients with frozen shoulders. Range of motion was recorded in flexion, abduction, external rotation, and internal rotation. On the arthrogram the following parameters were measured: depth of the axillary pouch, width of the anterior ballooning, extent of the subscapularis bursa, filling of the biceps tendon sheath, and the irregularity of the capsular outline in the anteroposterior view. Both the subscapularis bursa and the biceps tendon sheath were also assessed in the scapular Y view. There were mild correlations between external rotation and the anterior ballooning and between internal rotation and the axillary pouch, but the coefficient of determination (r-square) in each correlation was small. No significant correlation was observed between flexion or abduction and any of the arthrographic measurements. Although these arthrographic findings are characteristic to frozen shoulders, none of them is a good predictor of the severity of restricted motion.