Combined MRI-Based Morphometric Analysis in Patients with Supraspinatus Tendon Tears: A Comparative Study

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic imaging
• Musculoskeletal radiology
• Shoulder biomechanics

Background:

• Rotator cuff tears (RCT) are a leading cause of shoulder pain and functional limitation.
• Understanding the morphometric and soft tissue characteristics associated with RCT is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers detailed insights into shoulder anatomy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare shoulder morphometric and soft tissue parameters between patients with RCT and controls using MRI.
• To identify independent factors associated with the presence of RCT.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of shoulder MRI scans from 64 patients with RCT and 63 controls.
• Measurement of critical shoulder angle (CSA), lateral acromial angle (LAA), acromial index (AI), coracohumeral distance (CHD), acromiohumeral distance (AHD), coracoacromial ligament (CAL) thickness, and supraspinatus tendon (SST) thickness.
• Binary logistic regression and ROC analysis to determine risk factors and diagnostic performance.

Main Results:

• Patients with RCT exhibited a significantly higher CSA (36.18 ± 4.0°) compared to controls (32.61 ± 2.6°).
• RCT group showed significantly lower CHD (7.06 ± 1.13 mm), AHD (6.15 ± 1.27 mm), and SST thickness (5.17 ± 0.69 mm) than controls.
• Increasing age and CSA were independent risk factors for RCT, while increased SST thickness was inversely associated (OR = 0.35).
• SST thickness demonstrated high discriminatory performance (AUC = 0.963); combined model achieved AUC of 0.979.

Conclusions:

• Critical shoulder angle (CSA), coracohumeral distance (CHD), acromiohumeral distance (AHD), and supraspinatus tendon (SST) thickness are significantly associated with rotator cuff tears.
• Assessing CSA and SST thickness provides a robust and clinically relevant approach to understanding RCT.
• Combined evaluation of CSA and SST thickness enhances understanding of morphometric associations in RCT.