Purpose
We have started a preliminary study to assess the humeral acromial area and its intraarticular space through static and dynamic MRIs to figure if there is a difference between the measures taken in weight or non-weight bearing: a measure that could announce the risk of tear of the rotators cuff in patients suffering from functional problems to the shoulder.
Methods and Materials
We have examined 18 patients with shoulder pain (12 men and 6 women) between 25 and 65 years old.
We excluded all patients who underwent a previews shoulder surgery for a lesion or tear of the rotators cuff,
patients suffering from glenohumeral arthritis,
retractile capsulitis and neurologic lesions.
Each patient underwent clinostatic and orthostatic MRI with the machine Esaote G Scan Brio,
at once,
using multiplanar T1,
T2 weighted and T2 fat suppressed sequences and 3D SHARC for the following assessment of the distance.
The...
Results
The reduction of the subacromial space,
diagnosed through an exam carried on in a standard clinostatism,
could be fouled by the position during the exam.
In the last few years,
the introduction of dedicated low-field machines with a tilting plane allowed the acquisition of orthostatic images,
as well.
Such novelty allowed also increasing the accuracy of imaging in identifying pathologies that are usually visible only in orthostatism.
In the assessment of patients we documented the orthostatic humeral acromial distance compared to the non-weight bearing middle...
Conclusion
The estimate of the orthostatic non-weight bearing humeral acromial distance in indifferent position shows an increase in the distance in weight bearing,
compatible with Hamada I,
II grade.
References
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Prevalence and risk factors of a rotator cuff tear in the general population. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 2010;19:116-20.
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Age related prevalence of ro- tator cuff tears in asymptomatic shoulders. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 199;8:296-9.
Belangero PS,
Ejnisman B,
Arce G.
A review of rotator cuff classifications in current use. In: Arce G,
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Hamada K,Yamanaka K,...