Ultrasound study of the asymptomatic shoulder in patients with a confirmed symptomatic rotator cuff tear in the opposite shoulder

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Authors

Oschman, Zanet
Janse van Rensburg, Dina Christina
Maritz, N.G.J.
Boraine, H.
Owen, R.

Journal Title

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Volume Title

Publisher

Health and Medical Publishing Group

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To document the incidence of asymptomatic rotator cuff tears in patients with a confirmed symptomatic tear in the opposite shoulder, and to identify ultrasound findings that may distinguish symptomatic from asymptomatic tears. DESIGN: When patients are referred for an ultrasound examination for the confirmation of symptomatic rotator cuff tear the opposite shoulder is often used for comparison. However, patients often have a similar tear on the asymptomatic side. Fifty patients with a confirmed symptomatic rotator cuff tear and an asymptomatic shoulder on the opposite side were chosen for inclusion. The patients were examined using a Siemens Sonoline Elegra 7.5 MHz linear multi-frequency probe. The appearance of the rotator cuff, long head of the biceps and the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa (SASD bursa) were documented. The antero-posterior (AP) dimension of the supraspinatus muscle and fat between the trapezius and supraspinatus muscles were measured, which indicated if a tear was acute or chronic. The width and length of the rotator cuff tear were measured. SETTING: Division of Sports Medicine, University of Pretoria. RESULTS: Fifty-four per cent of the asymptomatic shoulders had tears. We found that the symptomatic tears were larger, appeared more chronic and had an associated biceps tendinopathy and glenohumeral joint effusion.

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Keywords

Incidence, Occurrence, Rotator cuff, Tears, Injuries, Asymptomatic, Symptomatic, Shoulder, Ultrasound

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Citation

Oschman, Z, Janse Van Rensburg, C, Maritz, NGJ, Boraine, H & Owen, R 2007, 'Ultrasound study of the asymptomatic shoulder in patients with a confirmed symptomatic rotator cuff tear in the opposite shoulder', South African Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 23-28. [http://www.journals.co.za/sama/m_sajsm.html]