Purpose
Review the different surgical procedures used for the treatment of subacromial impingement,
rotator cuff pathology and glenohumeral instability.
Postoperative shoulder’s Magnetic Resonance findings and complications related to subacromial decompression,
rotator cuff and labrum repair,
and superior capsular reconstruction (SCR) are revisited.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has a fundamental role in the management of the postoperative shoulder and is regarded as a pivotal imaging technique for the differentiation between postoperative complications and expected findings after shoulder surgery.
However,
when we are dealing with postoperative MRI,
there...
Methods and Materials
We retrospectively reviewed forty-four surgical cases of decompression for subacromial impingement,
SCR,
repair for rotator cuff and labrum lesions in our institution in the last two years,
that were referred with persistent postoperative shoulder pain,
functional impairment or/and persistent shoulder instability.
A systematically search for the postoperative Magnetic Resonance imaging findings was done.
All patients included in the study had a post-operative MRI in 1.5 or 3 Tesla (T).
Results
For this case series review,
we selected patients that presented with persistent shoulder pain,
functional impairment and/or persistent shoulder instability after shoulder surgery.
From the forty-four patients enrolled in this study,
there were twenty-eight men and sixteen women.
The pathology seen before the surgery are divided between rotator cuff tear,
Bankart lesion,
calcified tendinitis and acromion-clavicular fracture (table 1).
In some patients the rotator cuff lesions were accompanied with glenohumeral instability,
usually labrum tears.
Table 1
Lesion prior to Shoulder Surgery
Number
Rotator Cuff Tear...
Conclusion
Every radiologist should know how to minimize metallic artifacts in postoperative MRI scans,
regardless the surgical procedure.
Postoperative shoulder MRI can only be adequately interpreted if the radiologist thoroughly knows the surgical procedure and clinical setting in order to distinguish normal postoperative findings from postoperative complications.
In our case series,
the most common complication after shoulder surgery was tear or retear of the rotator cuff tendons,
namely supraspinatus and infraspinatus,
followed by labrum lesions.
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