ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for making the diagnosis of subscapularis tears presents wide variation in the literature and there are few prospective studies.
OBJECTIVE:
To compare the findings from MRI and arthroscopy for diagnosing subscapularis tears.
DESIGN AND SETTING:
Diagnostic test study performed in a tertiary care hospital.
METHODS:
We included patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair and who had firstly undergone high magnetic field MRI without contrast. The images were independently evaluated by a shoulder surgeon and two musculoskeletal radiologists. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, accuracy and inter and intra-observer agreement were calculated.
RESULTS:
MRIs on 200 shoulders were evaluated. The incidence of subscapularis tears was 69.5% (41.5% partial and 28.0% full-thickness). The inter and intra-observer agreement was moderate for detection of subscapularis tears. The shoulder surgeon presented sensitivity of 51.1% to 59.0% and specificity of 91.7% to 94.4%. The radiologists showed sensitivity of 83.5% to 87.1% and specificity of 41% to 45.9%. Accuracy ranged from 60.5% to 73.0%.
CONCLUSION:
The 1.5-T MRIs without contrast showed mean sensitivity of 70.2% and mean specificity of 61.9% for detection of subscapularis tears. Sensitivity was higher for the musculoskeletal radiologists, while specificity was higher for the shoulder surgeon. The mean accuracy was 67.6%, i.e. lower than that of rotator cuff tears overall.
KEY WORDS (MeSH terms):
Rotator cuff; Magnetic resonance imaging; Arthroscopy; Diagnosis
AUTHORS’ KEY WORDS:
Subscapularis tendon; Accuracy; Inter-observer agreement; Intra-observer agreement