The 'dropping' and 'hornblower's' signs in evaluation of rotator-cuff tears.
We studied 54 patients operated on for combined supraspinatus and infraspinatus rotator-cuff tears. The presence or absence of the dropping and hornblower's clinical signs of impaired external rotation were correlated with Goutallier stage-3 or stage-4 fatty degeneration of infraspinatus and teres minor. These grades of fatty degeneration have previously been correlated with a poorer outcome from reconstructive surgery. We found that hornblower's sign had 100% sensitivity and 93% specificity for irreparable degeneration of teres minor and the dropping sign 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity for similar degeneration of infraspinatus. In seven patients, teres minor showed hypertrophy. This muscle can give useful function for the activities of daily living in patients with rotator-cuff tears in whom it is intact.
Emilie de Vialar Orthopaedic Clinic, Lyon, France.
G
G
Walch
A
A
Boulahia
S
S
Calderone
A H
AH
Robinson
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D012399:Rotation; D017006:Rotator Cuff / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D000070636:Rotator Cuff Injuries; D012421:Rupture; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012782:Shoulder / Q000473:pathology; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome