[The value of sonography in ruptures of the rotator cuff]

In 375 patients ultrasonography of the rotator cuff was carried out before operation. All the patients underwent acromioplasty, either alone or with additional repair of a full-thickness tear. The ultrasound findings were then compared with the intraoperative findings. Two hundred and seventy-two tears of the rotator cuff were seen on ultrasonography, and in 262 cases this was confirmed at operation. In 103 patients no rupture was diagnosed by ultrasound, but in 26 of these cases a full-thickness tear was detected on operation. These figures yield sensitivity of 91%, specificity of 89% and accuracy of 90%; the positive predictive value was 96%, the negative predictive value 75%. In most cases of incorrect evaluation the size of the tears was underestimated by ultrasonography.