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The Repaired Rotator Cuff: MRI and Ultrasound Evaluation

  • Rotator Cuff Repair (M Tao and M Teusink, section editors)
  • Published:
Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

The purposes of this review were to provide an overview of the current practice of evaluating the postoperative rotator cuff on imaging and to review the salient imaging findings of the normal and abnormal postoperative rotator cuff, as well as of postoperative complications.

Recent Findings

The repaired rotator cuff frequently appears abnormal on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US). Recent studies have shown that while the tendons typically normalize, they can demonstrate clinically insignificant abnormal imaging appearances for longer than 6 months. Features of capsular thickening or subacromial-subdeltoid bursal thickening and fluid distension were found to decrease substantially in the first 6-month postoperative period. MRI and US were found to be highly comparable in the postoperative assessment of the rotator cuff, although they had a lower sensitivity for partial thickness tears. Imaging evaluation of newer techniques such as patch augmentation and superior capsular reconstruction needs to be further investigated.

Summary

MRI and US are useful in the postoperative assessment of the rotator cuff, not only for evaluation of the integrity of the rotator cuff, but also for detecting hardware complications and other etiologies of shoulder pain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology and Imaging, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, 535 East 70th street, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Susan C. Lee, Danielle Williams & Yoshimi Endo

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  1. Susan C. Lee
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  2. Danielle Williams
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Correspondence to Susan C. Lee.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Rotator Cuff Repair

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Lee, S.C., Williams, D. & Endo, Y. The Repaired Rotator Cuff: MRI and Ultrasound Evaluation. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med 11, 92–101 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-018-9463-6

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