Magnetic resonance imaging findings in idiopathic adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder.

Objectives: To describe magnetic resonance imaging findings in idiopathic adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder.

Patients and methods: Twenty patients with idiopathic adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder underwent magnetic resonance imaging involving two spin-echo T2-weighted sequences with fat saturation and two spin-echo T1-weighted postgadolinium sequences; for all sequences, sections were obtained in the oblique coronal and transverse axial planes. Findings were compared to those obtained using the same imaging protocol in 15 patients with clinical manifestations of rotator cuff tear.

Results: Postgadolinium enhancement of the joint capsule and synovial membrane was seen in the rotator interval in all 25 adhesive capsulitis patients and in the axillary recess in 22 of the 25. Only one of the 15 rotator cuff tear patients had this finding. In both groups, postgadolinium enhancement occurred in the subacromial bursa, in the rotator cuff tendons, and in the acromioclavicular joint. No significant rotator cuff tears were found in any of the adhesive capsulitis patients.

Conclusion: In difficult cases, magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium injection can contribute to the diagnosis of idiopathic adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder.