A prospective study of 100 patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy showed no correlation between subacromial bursitis and the efficacy of ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine whether the presence of subacromial bursitis in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy (RCT) was associated with a better outcome after ultrasound (US)-guided subacromial corticosteroid injection. A single-center prospective study was performed including patients referred for subacromial injection to manage RCT. At baseline, all patients received an US-guided intra-bursal injection of betamethasone (1ml). The primary endpoint was reduced pain 3months (M3) after the procedure: a good responder was defined by a decrease in Visual Analogue Scale pain of more than 30%. Secondary endpoints included functional recovery assessed by the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) and clinical success at 6weeks (W6). We also explored the association between good clinical response and other factors, such as US or X-ray features. One hundred patients were included and 49 presented with subacromial bursitis. At M3, 60% of patients (54/100) were considered good responders. The rate of good responders did not differ between the bursitis and non-bursitis groups (p = 0.6). During follow-up, OSS improved over time whether bursitis was present or not. We did not find any US or X-ray features significantly associated with a favorable clinical outcome. The presence of subacromial bursitis did not influence clinical outcomes at 3months post-subacromial injection in patients suffering from RCT. The presence of subacromial bursitis did not influence clinical outcomes at 3months post-subacromial corticosteroid injection in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy. For patient management, looking for ultrasonographic signs of bursitis does not appear relevant for the indication of the injection. • Ultrasound-guided subacromial corticosteroid injections led to a significant improvement in 60% of patients suffering from rotator cuff tendinopathy. • The presence of subacromial bursitis was not associated with better improvement at 3months post-injection. • Except for the Minnesota score referring to job satisfaction, we did not find any baseline clinical, X-ray, or ultrasound characteristics associated with a successful outcome.