title: The Coracohumeral Distance in Shoulders With Traumatic and Degenerative Subscapularis Tendon Tears.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A reduced coracohumeral distance (CHD) is thought to be responsible for subcoracoid impingement. This only accounts for degenerative tendon tears. In traumatic tears, the subcoracoid space should be normal.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The CHD in patients with traumatic subscapularis tendon tears is larger than that in patients with degenerative tears and does not differ from patients with an intact subscapularis tendon.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 83 patients with arthroscopically certified subscapularis tendon tears were included in the study. Forty-four patients had degenerative causes (group 1), and 39 had traumatic causes (group 2). The control group consisted of 20 patients with traumatic supraspinatus tendon tears and arthroscopically proven, intact subscapularis tendons (group 3). On preoperative axial magnetic resonance imaging, the distance between the CHD was measured, and the values of the 3 groups were compared using the t test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (±SD) CHD in patients with degenerative subscapularis tendon tears was 8.6 ± 2.0 mm (range, 4.0-13.2 mm) and was significantly (P = .0003) smaller than that in patients with traumatic tears (10.2 ± 2.0 mm; range, 6.6-16.2 mm) or controls (10.4 ± 1.8 mm; range, 6.8-14.0 mm). The CHD of controls and patients with traumatic tears did not differ significantly (P = .7875). A CHD of less than 6 mm only occurred in patients with degenerative subscapularis tendon tears.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The hypothesis that the CHD in patients with degenerative subscapularis tendon tears is significantly smaller than that in patients with traumatic tears or intact subscapularis tendons was confirmed. The CHD in patients with traumatic tears does not differ from that in controls. A CHD of less than 6 mm only occurs in patients with degenerative subscapularis tendon tears.
authors.affiliation: Sportsclinic Cologne, Department of Sports Traumatology, Cologne-Merheim Medical Center, University of Witten-Herdecke, Cologne, Germany Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Cologne-Merheim Medical Center, University of Witten-Herdecke, Cologne, Germany maurice.balke@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maurice
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balke
authors.affiliation: Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Cologne-Merheim Medical Center, University of Witten-Herdecke, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.affiliation: Sportsclinic Cologne, Department of Sports Traumatology, Cologne-Merheim Medical Center, University of Witten-Herdecke, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Greshake
authors.affiliation: Sportsclinic Cologne, Department of Sports Traumatology, Cologne-Merheim Medical Center, University of Witten-Herdecke, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Juergen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hoeher
authors.affiliation: Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Cologne-Merheim Medical Center, University of Witten-Herdecke, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Bertil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bouillon
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University Hospital Muenster, Muenster, Germany.
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liem
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000070636:Rotator Cuff Injuries; D012421:Rupture / Q000473:pathology; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous / Q000473:pathology; D019534:Shoulder Impingement Syndrome / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000070599:Shoulder Injuries; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000473:pathology; D052256:Tendinopathy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013710:Tendons / Q000473:pathology
keywords: MRI; coracohumeral distance; rotator cuff tear; shoulder trauma; subscapularis