Abstract
Ultrasonography of the rotator cuff was performed preceding surgery and/or arthrography on 26 patients who had sustained rotator cuff injury.
The sensitivity of ultrasound in detecting a tear of the rotator cuff was 83% and the specificity was 64%. As signs of showing cuff tear, “defect” and “thinning” were reliable, but the “high echogenic band” was not. Tears smaller than 1.5 cm could not be detected. The small size transducer was found to be preferable because it is handy and time saving compared to the standard one.
It appears that ultrasonography can be used as one of the diagnostic tools for rotator cuff tear, especially for an incomplete tear which is difficult to detect by other methods.
