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Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy

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01-07-2016 | Shoulder

Quantitative MRI characterization of arthroscopically verified supraspinatus pathology: comparison of tendon tears, tendinosis and asymptomatic supraspinatus tendons with T2 mapping

Authors: Edmund Ganal, Charles P. Ho, Katharine J. Wilson, Rachel K. Surowiec, W. Sean Smith, Grant J. Dornan, Peter J. Millett

Published in: Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy | Issue 7/2016

Abstract

Purpose

Quantitative MRI T2 mapping is a non-invasive imaging technique sensitive to biochemical changes, but no studies have evaluated T2 mapping in pathologic rotator cuff tendons. It was sought to evaluate the efficacy of T2 mapping in detecting differences in the supraspinatus tendon (SST) among patients with tendinosis, partial tears and minimally retracted full-thickness tears, relative to asymptomatic volunteers.

Methods

The pathologic cohort consisted of two arthroscopically verified groups: tendinosis and a tear group of partial tears or minimally retracted full-thickness tears, and was compared to an asymptomatic cohort with no prior history of shoulder pathology. The SST was manually segmented from the footprint to the medial humeral head in the coronal and sagittal planes and divided into six clinically relevant subregions. Mean T2 values and inter- and intra-rater reliability were assessed.

Results

In the anterolateral subregion, the tear group exhibited significantly higher mean T2 values (43.9 ± 12.7 ms) than the tendinosis (34.9 ± 3.9 ms; p = 0.006) and asymptomatic (33.6 ± 5.3 ms; p = 0.015) groups. In the posterolateral subregion, the tear group had higher mean T2 values (45.2 ± 13.7) than the asymptomatic group (34.7 ± 6.7; p = 0.012). Inter- and intra-rater reliability was mostly excellent (ICC > 0.75).

Conclusion

T2 mapping is an accurate non-invasive method to identify quantitatively early rotator cuff pathology. The lateral region in the coronal plane in particular may differentiate partial and small minimally retracted full-thickness tears from tendinosis and asymptomatic tendons. Understanding and being able to measure quantitatively the process of tendon degeneration and subsequent tearing may help clinicians to better predict at-risk groups and to stratify treatment options.

Level of evidence

III.

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Title: Quantitative MRI characterization of arthroscopically verified supraspinatus pathology: comparison of tendon tears, tendinosis and asymptomatic supraspinatus tendons with T2 mapping
Authors: Edmund Ganal
Charles P. Ho
Katharine J. Wilson
Rachel K. Surowiec
W. Sean Smith
Grant J. Dornan
Peter J. Millett
Publication date: 01-07-2016
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy / Issue 7/2016
Print ISSN: 0942-2056
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7347
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-015-3547-2

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Quantitative MRI characterization of arthroscopically verified supraspinatus pathology: comparison of tendon tears, tendinosis and asymptomatic supraspinatus tendons with T2 mapping

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Level of evidence

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Level of evidence

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