Morphologic and radiologic parameters correlating to shoulder function at diagnosis for patients with rotator cuff...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Radiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters show weak correlation with shoulder function in rotator cuff tears.
• Current diagnostic methods may not fully capture the relationship between rotator cuff tear morphology and functional outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if combining 3D morphologic parameters from biplanar radiographs (3DXR) with MRI parameters improves correlation with shoulder function.
• To enhance diagnostic accuracy for rotator cuff tears by integrating imaging modalities.

Main Methods:

• 52 patients with rotator cuff tears underwent EOS Imaging, MRI, and clinical evaluation (Constant score).
• 3D bone reconstruction and automatic extraction of eleven 3DXR parameters.
• Linear regression model correlating 11 3DXR parameters and 5 MRI findings with the Constant score.

Main Results:

• Most 3DXR parameters demonstrated good trueness and reliability.
• Supraspinatus tear extension, muscle atrophy, and intertuberosity distance showed significant but weak correlations with lower Constant scores.
• A regression model using one MRI and four 3DXR parameters increased the correlation with shoulder function from 16.7% to 43.3%.

Conclusions:

• Combining MRI and 3DXR parameters in a linear regression model significantly improves the correlation with shoulder function (Constant score) in rotator cuff tears.
• This integrated approach offers a more comprehensive assessment of shoulder function at diagnosis.