The rotator cuff tear: MR evaluation

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Radiology
• Musculoskeletal Imaging

Background:

• Musculoskeletal pathology evaluation increasingly utilizes Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
• The shoulder joint presents diagnostic challenges for rotator cuff tears and impingement syndrome.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic role of MRI in shoulder pathology, specifically rotator cuff tears and impingement.
• To assess MRI's ability to identify specific indicators of rotator cuff tears and impingement syndrome.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a 1-Tesla MRI scanner (operating at 0.5 Tesla).
• Acquired coronal T1-weighted images in all subjects; coronal spin density and T2-weighted sequences were used in select cases.
• Examined eight healthy volunteers and 10 patients with confirmed rotator cuff tears or impingement symptoms.

Main Results:

• MRI consistently visualized the supraspinatus muscle and tendon in normal individuals.
• Tear indicators included hypointense gaps on T1-weighted images and increased signal on T2-weighted images within the supraspinatus tendon.
• MRI identified subacromial impingement in one patient with impingement syndrome and negative arthrography.

Conclusions:

• MRI is a valuable tool for diagnosing rotator cuff tears and evaluating impingement syndrome.
• Potential applications include assessing tendon retraction and noninvasive etiological determination before irreversible tendon damage.