Evaluation of magnetic resonance imaging findings in adhesive capsulitis: which quantitative findings are most valuable?

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in adhesive capsulitis (AC) and determine the most valuable MRI finding in diagnosis using easily applied quantitative methods. METHODS: Shoulder MRI was performed on 193 patients who were diagnosed with AC by clinical examination and 116 controls. Axillary pouch thickness (APT), superior and inferior glenohumeral ligament (SGHL and IGHL) thickness, coracohumeral ligament (CHL) thickness, fluid increase and soft-tissue thickness in the rotator interval (RI), and increases in the fluid and signal in the localization of biceps tendon attachment were evaluated. MRI examinations were assessed by three radiologists blinded to the clinical findings of the patients, and the results were obtained based on consensus and records. RESULTS: There were 119 women and 74 men in the AC group and 80 women and 36 men in the control group. IGHL, SGHL, RI, and CHL thicknesses were measured thicker in AC patients than in the control group. When IGHL=4, RI=3.6, SGHL=2.0, CHL=4.6-mm cutoff, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) values were 0.700, 0.922, 0.972, and 0.783, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results obtained in this study, IGHL=4 mm, RI=3.6 mm, SGHL=2.0 mm, and CHL=4.6 mm can support the diagnosis of AC. Using the quantitative values in diagnosis can provide objective criteria and prevent variability among interpreters.

Sonographic assessment of subacromial bursa distension during arm abduction: establishing a threshold value in the diagnosis of subacromial impingement syndrome.

PURPOSE: In this study, we aimed to establish a quantitative threshold value in the diagnosis of subacromial impingement syndrome by measuring the thickness of the subacromial bursa during abduction and adduction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-five patients with subacromial impingement syndrome and 54 healthy individuals underwent dynamic shoulder ultrasonography. The subacromial bursa, between the supraspinatus tendon margin and peribursal adipose tissue, was measured between the acromion and humeral head at its widest part. The subacromial impingement ratio was calculated by dividing the subacromial bursa thickness during abduction to the subacromial bursa thickness during adduction. Shapiro-Wilk test was used in the assessment of normal distribution of parameters. RESULTS: The mean subacromial bursa thickness in the abduction position was 1.8 ± 1.1 mm in the study group and 0.9 ± 0.3 mm in the control group. The mean subacromial bursa thickness in the adduction position was 0.9 ± 0.5 mm in the study group and 0.8 ± 0.3 mm in the control group. The subacromial impingement ratio showed a statistically significant difference between groups (p < 0.0001), and the ratio being 2.0 ± 0.5 in the study group and 1.2 ± 0.1 in the control group. For measurements performed in the abduction position, the best cut-off value was calculated as 1.3 mm, and sensitivity and specificity were 70.6 and 85.2%, respectively. The best cut-off value was 1.4 for the subacromial impingement ratio, and sensitivity and specificity were 88.2 and 96.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Subacromial impingement ratio is a very practical and reliable method in subacromial impingement syndrome diagnosis.

Rotator cuff metastases: a report of two cases with literature review.

CONTEXT: Distant metastases of primary malignancies to the skeletal muscle tissue are a very rare event. Distant metastases that affect the rotator cuff are even rarer, and only a few of cases have been reported so far. CASE REPORT: The present article reports two cases that presented to our hospital with the complaint of shoulder pain and had a soft tissue mass affecting the muscles of the rotator cuff and invading the neighboring bone compartments. One of the patients developed mucoepidermoid cancer metastasis of the submandibular gland, and the other was found to have a malignant epithelial tumor metastasized from the lower lobe of the right lung, whose primary origin could not be diagnosed until the imaging examinations were employed. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging findings are presented in this paper. CONCLUSION: Metastases to the muscle tissues could be misdiagnosed as primary sarcomas. Because the therapy regiments and prognoses are fairly different for these two entities, the possibility of a metastasis to the muscle tissue must be considered as a differential diagnosis for case of painful soft tissue mass. Ultrasound is very useful in detection of the lesion and acts as a very important tool during guidance for biopsy. Magnetic resonance imaging, however, is a very valuable asset in the evaluation of the borders of the soft tissue mass and its invasive effect on the bony tissues. Particularly when the features such as lobulated contours, peripheral edema, and intratumoral necrosis exist, the possibility of metastases must be considered.