Evaluation of the relationship between subacromial space volume and rotator cuff injury by Magnetic Resonance Imaging with SPACE technique

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the relationship between the degree of tearing in the rotator cuff tendons and the subacromial region volume using the proton-density weighted Sampling Perfection with Application optimized Contrasts using different flip angle Evolution technique and the contribution of this technique to shoulder magnetic resonance imaging. Material and methods: A total of 125 patients who underwent shoulder magnetic resonance imaging for shoulder pain between January 2016 and December 2016 were included in this single-center, retrospective study. Rotator cuff tendon injury grading was performed using coronal plane 2D short tau inversion recovery T2-weighted sequences (grades 1–4). Subacromial region volume was calculated from PD-weighted 3D SPACE sequence images in sagittal oblique plane. The relationship between rotator cuff tears and subacromial region volumes was evaluated using Pearson’s correlation analysis. The measurements were made at different times by two independent radiologists. Results: There was a strong negative correlation between the grade of RC tendon tear and subacromial volume (p<0.05; r: -0.83). Conclusion: Shoulder magnetic resonance imaging with high-contrast resolution can be obtained by the Sampling Perfection with Application optimized Contrasts using different flip angle Evolution technique. The degree of rotator cuff tendon tear, which is a cause of shoulder pain, is associated with the subacromial region volume. Using the Sampling Perfection with Application optimized Contrasts using different flip angle Evolution technique can also easily reveal the cause of the damage.

Keywords

• Rotator cuff
• shoulder
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• SPACE technique