title: Shoulder surface temperature and bone scintigraphy findings in patients with rotator cuff tears.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is one of the serious complications after surgical treatment of a rotator cuff tear. Both a measurement of body surface temperature and bone scintigraphy have been used as diagnostic tools for the early phase of CRPS.Unfortunately, few studies have been carried out that applied these methods to the patients after rotator cuff repair.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To clarify both shoulder surface temperature and bone scintigraphy findings in patients with rotator cuff tears.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects comprised patients with unilateral rotator cuff tears (five men and five women, mean age 61 years). For measurements of shoulder surface temperature, a Thermochron was attached to both shoulders. As for bone scintigraphy, intravenous injection of technetium-labelled hydroxymethylenebisphosphonic acid (99mTc-HMDP)was performed, and then images were taken with a gamma camera.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the measurements, the changes in body surface temperature for the affected and healthy shoulders remained within the standard deviation of the reference group. The intensity of radioisotope (RI) uptake for the affected shoulder joint was significantly increased compared to that for the healthy shoulder joint (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RI uptake is increased in shoulders with rotator cuff tears, whereas shoulder surface temperature shows no differences on the affected and unaffected sides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Japanese Red Cross Sendai Hospital, Yagiyama Honcyo, Taihaku-Ku, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. yokoike@gmail.com
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kinjyo
authors.forename: Itaru
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.forename: Onuma
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Masahiro
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Masamizu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ooyama
authors.forename: Atushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Itoi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D017006:Rotator Cuff / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D019534:Shoulder Impingement Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013696:Temperature