[Magnetic resonance tomography in disorders of the rotator cuff]

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a powerful diagnostic tool for the evaluation of the painful shoulder in general and of the diseased rotator cuff in particular. MRI evaluates cuff disease in terms of tendon morphology and pathologic signal alterations within diseased cuff tendons. Additionally, MRI displays important pathoanatomic changes of the coracoacromial arch which are predisposing factors for the development of shoulder impingement syndrome and cuff disease. The accuracy of MRI in diagnosing small rotator cuff tears and in assessing the integrity of the labral-ligamentous complex is improved by the intraarticular injection of a suitable contrast agent. In the preoperative assessment of patients with cuff disease, MR arthrography enhances the staging of the disease and allows a more confident exclusion of concomitant lesions of the shoulder joint.