Rotator Cuff Tendon Assessment in Symptomatic and Control Groups Using Quantitative MRI.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Radiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Weak correlations exist between rotator cuff tendon (RCT) tearing and patient symptoms.
• The relationship between rotator cuff tendinopathy symptoms and quantitative MRI measures is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess bilateral rotator cuff tendons (RCTs) in patients with unilateral symptomatic tendinopathy and asymptomatic controls using MRI.
• To hypothesize that quantitative MRI measures would differ between symptomatic patients and controls.

Main Methods:

• A prospective imaging study involving 24 subjects (14 patients, 10 controls) was conducted.
• Quantitative MRI (3T/3D UTE-Cones-MT) measured macromolecular fraction (MMF) and T2 relaxation in superior RCT regions.
• Western Ontario Rotator Cuff (WORC) index and visual analog scale were assessed.

Main Results:

• Symptomatic RCTs showed significantly lower MMF and higher T2 values compared to control RCTs.
• Asymptomatic RCTs in patients also exhibited significant differences in MMF and T2 values compared to controls.
• No significant differences were found between the symptomatic and contralateral asymptomatic RCTs within the same patient.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative MRI measures (MMF and T2) can differentiate symptomatic rotator cuff tendons from healthy ones.
• Asymptomatic contralateral shoulders in patients with unilateral tendinopathy may exhibit subclinical changes detectable by quantitative MRI.
• These findings suggest quantitative MRI can identify early or subclinical tendinopathy in rotator cuff tendons.