title: Preliminary ultrasound evaluation of the rotator cable in asymptomatic volunteers().
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the rotator cable high-resolution ultrasound appearance in asymptomatic shoulders of volunteers of different age.
  
  
  METHODS
  IRB approval and volunteers' written consent was obtained. Excluding subjects with known shoulder affections, we screened 24 asymptomatic volunteers. Supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons high-resolution ultrasound evaluation was performed according to standard scan protocols, further excluding shoulders with partial/full-thickness cuff tears. Thus, we studied 24 shoulders in 12 young volunteers (age range 21-39 years, mean age 33 ± 8 years) and 21 shoulders in 11 elderly volunteers (age range 62-83 years, mean age 75 ± 45 years). For each shoulder, we noted rotator cable visibility and its thickness and width. Fisher's and U Mann-Whitney statistics were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rotator cable was less frequently detected in young than in elderly volunteers (5/24 vs. 11/21 shoulders; P = 0.034). When detected, rotator cable was significantly thicker in young (range 1.2-1.5 mm, mean thickness 1.3 ± 0.1 mm) than in elderly (range 0.9-1.4 mm, mean thickness 1.2 ± 0.1 mm) volunteers (P = 0.025), while its width was not significantly different in young (range 4.5-7.1 mm, mean 5.6 ± 1.1 mm) compared to elderly (range 2.5-7.1 mm, mean 4.2 ± 1.4 mm) volunteers (P = 0.074) although a tendency can be highlighted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ultrasound demonstrated the different consistency of rotator cable in young and elderly asymptomatic patients, with high interobserver reproducibility.
authors: Scuola di Specializzazione in Radiodiagnostica, Genova University, Italy.
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Orlandi
authors: L M
authors: LM
authors: Sconfienza
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Fabbro
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Ferrero
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Martini
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Lacelli
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Serafini
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Silvestri
keywords: High-resolution ultrasound; Rotator cuff cable; Shoulder
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