title: Evaluation of ultrasonography as a diagnostic technique in the assessment of rotator cuff tendon tears.
abstract: In this study we assessed the clinical usefulness of ultrasonography as a modality in the diagnosis of rotator cuff tears. One hundred twenty patients with preoperative ultrasonography were analyzed by diagnostic arthroscopy to evaluate rotator cuff integrity. Two groups, 61 patients with a positive ultrasonogram and 59 patients with a negative ultrasonogram, were analyzed. The 61 patients with a positive ultrasonogram preoperatively were found to have 42 full-thickness tears and 19 partial-thickness tears. Diagnostic arthroscopy confirmed a sensitivity of 95% for the full-thickness tears and 41% for the partial-thickness tears. In the 59 patients with negative ultrasonography, the specificity for full-thickness tears was 93% and in the 19 partial-thickness tears it was 91%. Our conclusion is that ultrasonography is an effective modality for the assessment of full-thickness tears, but not partial-thickness tears.
authors.affiliation: Providence Hospital, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Brenneke
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Morgan
mesh_terms: D001182:Arthroscopy; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D017006:Rotator Cuff / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000070636:Rotator Cuff Injuries; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography