Comparison of ultrasound and MRI of the shoulder in determining the location and severity of rupture of the main tendon of the rotator cuff

The study of shoulder pathologies as one of the most common orthopedic injuries due to the lack of sensitivity of clinical findings is one of the topics discussed in radiology papers. Traditionally, MRI is a selective diagnostic modality of choice. However, due to its limitations, such as high cost and unavailability, simple and cheaper methods seems to be valuable. Sonography can be a good alternative in this field that examines soft tissue pathologies. This study evaluated the magnitude of ultrasound and MRI matching in cases of partial and complete tear of cuff muscles and accompanying findings such as subacromial bursal effusion and degenerative changes of shoulder joint. In this study 85 patients who referred to the radiology department of Hazrat-e-Rasool Akram Hospital were asked for simultaneous sonographic examination of the shoulder. The degree of ultrasound and MRI correlation in localizing the tear as well as the severity of tear based on complete or partial was evaluated for each rotator cuff muscle individually. Also the degree of subacromial bursa effusion and acromioclavicular join hypertrophy were also compared. A total of 85 patients (30 males and 55 females) with different injuries in supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis and long head of biceps tendon, sonography was in acceptable agreement with the findings of MRI in the diagnosis of complete and partial tear and in determining their location. However, the tendency of tendon retraction is less than predicted by MRI. Shoulder ultrasound can be used as an alternative modality to MRI, especially in cases where it is not available, to examine the rupture of cuff tendons, as well as the extent and severity of subacromial bursa effusion and acromioclavicular joint hypertrophy.