Comparison of radiographic and ultrasonographic features of painful shoulder in rheumatoid arthritis in relation to painful shoulder of non-inflammatory cause

painful shoulder is an important public health problem present in various population groups, both the young as well as the elderly. patients with rheumatoid arthritis (ra) and patients with non-inflammatory painful shoulder are two representative groups. The aim of this study was to estimate the differences in morphological parameters between the two patient groups and a possible predomination of one over the other. in 40 patients with ra both shoulders, and in 80 patients with non-inflammatory painful shoulders one shoulder, were radiographically and sonographically examined and the morphological parameters were compared. The patients with ra had a greater diameter of the biceps tendon sheath and the capsule-bone distance. more patients with ra had effusion of the biceps tendon sheath, subacromial-subdeltoid bursal effusion, and diffuse osteopenia. There were no differences between the groups in parameters usually associated with painful shoulder of non-inflammatory cause such as rotator cuff calcifications, supraspinatus tendon inhomogeneity, rotator cuff partial and total thickness tears, glenohumeral and acromioclavicular osteoarthrosis, large tuberculum sclerosis, and subacromial osteophytes. patients with ra were then divided in two groups, the first involving patients with biceps tendon sheath effusion and subacromial-subdeltoid bursal effusion, and the second comprising patients without those symptoms. There was no significant difference among the parameters of painful shoulder in the second group and the parameters of non-inflammatory painful shoulder. despite a significant difference in some parameters between the groups, the ra patients showed many parameters associated with noninflammatory painful shoulder. They are obviously not “protected” against other intrinsic and extrinsic factors affectReumatizam 2019;66(2):53–63 https://doi.org/10.33004/reumatizam-66-2-7 OriginAl scienTific PAPer OriginAlni znAnsTVeni rAd