Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been known as a useful tool for imaging the musculoskeletal system, especially spinal lesions, avascular necrosis, and the tumors of the bone and the soft tissues. However, there are only a few reports on MR imaging around the shoulder joint. We reported on the technique of MRI for the shoulder and typical MR imaging of the shoulder disorders at the society'is meeting last year. The "so called 50 kata" is a Japanese traditional term for periarthritis scapulohumerale in English. We have examined 19 shoulders in patients with "so-called 50 kata" using MR imaging since February in 1988 and compared the MR images of the disorder with those of other diseases. The typical MR appearance of "so-called 50 kata" is relatively high intensity of the supraspinatus tendon with the T1-weighted and/or T2-rweighted sequence, which resembles that of subacromial impingement syndrome.
