Role of MR arthrography in the evaluation of rotator cuff injuries. A comparative study to high resolution ultrasonography

Background: Shoulder pathology is associated with substantial functional limitations that increase with age.Rotator cuff injuries are the most likely source of shoulder pain. Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of MR arthrography in the detection of different abnormalities of the rotator cuff muscles, comparing the results to high resolution static and dynamic ultrasonography. Patient and Methods: our study was done in Bab Al She'ryya university hospital radiology department from April 2022 and April 2023 and enrolled 20 patients with clinically suspected rotator cuff pathology 16 male & 4 female. In our study patients were examined by ultrasound using Logic P9 ultrasound device and 1.5 Tesla Acheiva Magnet. Results: This study revealed that the MR arthrography and ultrasound can detect various pathologies involving the rotator cuff and soft tissue surrounding having comparable results with slight superiority of MRA over USG at partial rotator cuff tear. Conclusion: The results of this study concluded that partial rotator cuff tears can be diagnosed with greater precision using MR arthrography than with ultrasonography. For full-thickness tears and RC tendinosis, ultrasound is roughly equivalent to MRA. These findings, along with the fact that ultrasonography is less expensive, suggest that it might be the most cost-effective imaging approach for detecting rotator cuff injuries, assuming that the examiner has received the necessary training in this operator-dependent technique.