Reporting rotator cuff tears on magnetic resonance arthrography using the Snyder's arthroscopic classification

AIM To determine diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance arthrography(MRA) in evaluating rotator cuff tears(RCTs) using Snyder's classification for reporting.METHODS One hundred and twenty-six patients(64 males, 62 females; median age 55 years) underwent shoulder MRA and arthroscopy, which represented our reference standard. Surgical arthroscopic reports were reviewed and the reported Snyder's classification was recorded. MRA examinations were evaluated by two independent radiologists(14 and 5 years' experience) using Snyder's classification system, blinded to arthroscopy. Agreement between arthroscopy and MRA on partial-and fullthickness tears was calculated, first regardless of their extent. Then, analysis took into account also the extent of the tear. Interobserver agreement was also calculated the quadratically-weighted Cohen kappa statistics.RESULTS On arthroscopy, 71/126 patients(56%) had a fullthickness RCT. The remaining 55/126 patients(44%) had a partial-thickness RCT. Regardless of tear extent, out of 71 patients with arthroscopically-confirmed fullthickness RCTs, 66(93%) were correctly scored by both readers. All 55 patients with arthroscopic diagnosis of partial-thickness RCT were correctly assigned as having a partial-thickness RCT at MRA by both readers. Interobserver reproducibility analysis showed total agreement between the two readers in distinguishing partial-thickness from full-thickness RCTs, regardless of tear extent(k = 1.000). With regard to tear extent, in patients in whom a complete tear was correctly diagnosed, correct tear extent was detected in 61/66 cases(92%); in the remaining 5/66 cases(8%), tear extent was underestimated. Agreement was k = 0.955. Interobserver agreement was total(k = 1.000).CONCLUSION MRA shows high diagnostic accuracy and reproducibility in evaluating RCTs using the Snyder's classification for reporting. Snyder's classification may be adopted for routine reporting of MRA.

Ultrasound in Assessment of Supraspinatus Tendon Injury： Correlation with Arthroscopy

INTRODUCTIONRotator cuffinjuries are common in all athletic. Of all rotator cuff injuries, the supraspinatus tendon involves mostly. Severe supraspinatus tendon injury may affect the patient＇s quality of life. However, supraspinatus tendon injury can be relatively asymptomatic in some cases and may require sonographic examination for diagnosis, With continued improvement in shoulder arthroscopy, surgical treatment for supraspinatus tendon injury has become more effective and less invasive.

Arthroscopic repair of partial articular supraspinatus tendon avulsion lesions by conversion to full-thickness tears through a small incision

Purpose To assess the clinical efficacy of converting partial articular supraspinatus tendon avulsion(PASTA)lesions to full-thickness tears through a small local incision of the bursal-side supraspinatus tendon followed by repair.Methods We retrospectively analyzed 41 patients with Ellman grade 3 PASTA lesions and an average age of(54.7±11.4)years from March 2013 to July 2017.Patients without regular conservative treatment and concomitant with other shoulder pathologies or previous shoulder surgery were excluded from the study.The tears were confirmed via arthroscopy,and a polydioxanone suture was placed to indicate the position of each tear.A small incision of approximately 6 mm was made using a plasma scalpel on the bursal-side supraspinatus tendon around the positioned suture to convert the partial tear into a full-thickness tear.The torn rotator cuff was sutured through the full thickness using a suture passer after inserting a 4.5-mm double-loaded suture anchor.Data were analyzed using a paired Student’s t-test with statistical significance defined as p<0.05.Results At the final follow-up of 2 years,the pain-free shoulder joint range of motion and visual analog scale score were significantly improved compared to those before surgery(p<0.001).The postoperative American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons shoulder score was(90.6±6.2),which was significantly higher than the preoperative score of(47.9±8.3)(p<0.001).The University of California at Los Angeles shoulder rating scale score increased from(14.7±4.1)prior to surgery to(32.6±3.4)points after surgery(p<0.001).No patient had joint stiffness.Conclusion This modified tear completion repair,by conversion to full-thickness tears through a small incision,has less damage to the supraspinatus tendon on the side of the bursa compared to traditional tear completion repair in the treatment of PASTA lesions.This surgical method is a simple and effective treatment that can effectively alleviate pain and improve shoulder joint function.