High Resolution Sonographic Evaluation Of Painful Shoulder

Purpose : To compare clinical diagnosis established by Physical examination with High frequency ultrasonographic findings in patients with painful shoulder. Methods & Materials: two different Radiologists who were blinded to the clinical data, performed sonographic examination on forty patients with painful shoulder and twenty control subjects using 7.5 MHZ linear transducer. Physical examination was performed by one experienced Rheumatologistbefore ultrasonographic examination by using specific maneuvers. Ultrasonography was considered the optimal diagnostic technique. Results : Rotator Cuff was most common structure to show abnormalities on ultrasound. Among the tendon of rotator cuff supraspinatus most commonly showed abnormalities (52.5%). Partial thickness tears of supraspinatus were more common than full-thickness tear. A high Sensitivity and Specificity of sonography was demonstrated compared to physical examination in the present study. Conclusion : High sensitivity & specificity , non-invasiveness & low cost of high resolution sonography justify its routine utilization for the assessment of painful shoulder.