Authors

• Hamidreza Aslani, MD
• Hamid Farrokhi, MD
• Hamed Vahedi, MD
• Manoochehr Ghazaleh, MD

Abstract

Background: Rotator cuff tear is one of the most prevalent shoulder disorders in middle aged and old people and MRI is gold standard paraclinic diagnostic test. This research is aimed at assessing the accuracy of MRI reports in rotator cuff tears.Methods: A cross-sectional study was done from May 2005 to February 2006 in two hospitals in Tehran. Fifty consecutive patients who had been investigated with MRI and then undergone shoulder arthroscopy were assessed. The reports on MRI findings of the shoulder were compared with the arthroscopic findings. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of MRI in reference to the arthroscopic findings were studied.Results: MRI in these 27 men and 23 women showed 97.4% sensitivity, 45.4% specificity, 86.3% positive predictive value, 83.3% negative predictive value and 84% accuracy. The values for the same parameters were respectively 83.9%, 78.9%, 86.7%, 75% and 82% for complete and 50%, 76.2%, 28.6%, 88.9% and 70% for partial rotator cuff tears.Conclusions: The MRI reports for rotator cuff disease, in our center, are reliable for complete tears, but not for partial tears. 

Keywords

• Rotator Cuff
• shoulder
• Magnetic resonance imaging
• Tendon Injuries