[Use of oblique sagittal T2-weighted images in diagnosing rotator cuff tears]

The correlation between oblique sagittal T2-weighted images and oblique coronal T2-weighted images was determined in 86 patients who had symptoms and signs suggesting rotator cuff tears. Abnormal high signal lesions suggesting full and partial thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon were observed on the oblique coronal images in 20 and 27 of 86 patients, respectively. The oblique sagittal images showed the lesions just the same as the oblique coronal images. In the other 39, abnormal high signal lesions were not observed on oblique coronal images or on oblique sagittal images. The oblique sagittal images were proved not useful to detect tears of the supraspinatus tendon. However, the oblique sagittal T2-weighted images showed posterior extension of high signal lesions and clarified abnormal high signal lesions near the long head of the biceps tendon in two patients. These results suggested that oblique coronal images should always be taken at the first step to identify supraspinatus tendon tear, and oblique sagittal images can be taken as an adjust to the former images.