Clinical examination versus Magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosing Rotator cuff injuries

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the sensitivity and specificity of clinical examination to MRI in rotator cuff injuries. Materials and Method: Prospective study done during the period July 2015 to Jan 2017. The inclusion criteria were patients between age group 20-70 years who reported to outpatient department or casuality with shoulder pathology. The patients should have suspected/ clinically diagnosed to have Shoulder pathologies like instability, stiffness of shoulder, bicipital tendinitis and rotator cuff injuries. The exclusion criteria were infective pathologies and malignancies of the shoulder, previous surgery or prosthesis of shoulder and associated fresh fracture. All the patients underwent rigorous clinical evaluation and MRI of the affected shoulder. Results: In our study majority of the case (10 patients) 41.6% were in the age group between 31 to 40 years. 75% of the patients participated in the study were males. The sensitivity and specificity of clinical examination to MRI were 83.3% and 100% respectively. Conclusion: Clinical examination can alone be used for diagnosis of suspected Rotator Cuff tears. It is very useful in rural settings where MRI is not available.