Published in:
01-09-2013 | Letter to the Editor
When the parrot’s beak becomes the crocodile’s mouth: a story on shoulder ultrasound
Published in: Rheumatology International | Issue 9/2013
Login to get accessExcerpt
Ultrasound (US) plays a very important role in the diagnosis of rotator cuff lesions in the shoulder [1, 2]. Herewith, the imaging protocol comprises several views especially for supraspinatus (Ssp) tendon lesions, and lateral coronal view is generally the initial step to start with (Fig. 1). As the figure of the intact Ssp tendon (critical zone) quite resembles a ‘bird’s/parrot’s beak’ (Fig. 1b), this terminology is commonly pronounced for providing easier orientation during US training [3, 4].
Fig. 1
Comparative shoulder ultrasonography in a 63-year-old man with a right-sided shoulder pain. Lateral coronal view demonstrates the critical zone of both supraspinatus tendons. a (Crocodile’s mouth) On the left side of the image (right shoulder), there is loss of thickness and convexity (white arrow heads) on the distal side of the tendon just overlying a cortical irregularity (white arrow). b (Parrot’s beak) On the right side of the image (left shoulder), the tendon is being visualized with its normal shape. Ac Acromion (parrot’s head), Ssp Supraspinatus tendon (Parrot’s beak), De Deltoid muscle, Hu Humerus
× ![]()
…