title: Arthroscopic findings in the frozen shoulder.
abstract: We report 24 patients with a clinical diagnosis of frozen shoulder who underwent an arthroscopic examination and were reviewed. A painful and stiff shoulder was present for an average of 8 months prior to the arthroscopy. The examinations were performed under general anesthesia and through a posterior route. The capacity of the genohumeral joint was measured by infiltration of physiologic saline and it was subnormal in almost 60% of the cases. Only 1 rupture of the rotator cuff was noted which had been previously demonstrated by arthrography. A torn long head of biceps was identified in 2 cases. No intraarticular adhesions were noted. These observations implicate an extra-articular cause for this clinical entity.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D008023:Ligaments, Articular / Q000293:injuries; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000293:injuries; D000070599:Shoulder Injuries; D012785:Shoulder Joint; D013585:Synovitis / Q000150:complications; D013708:Tendon Injuries