Rotator Cuff MRI

Rotator cuff impingement is the most common form of shoulder injury. When shoulder pain persists and doesn’t subside after taking medicines then diagnostic tests are advised to determine the extent of the tear or impingement.

There are many tests to determine the status of the rotator cuff impingement. X-ray, ultra sound, magnetic resonance imaging or MRI, and magnetic resonance anthography are some of the diagnostic tests carried out to determine the presence or absence of impingement of the rotator cuff. Rotator cuff MRI test is believed to be a conclusive test to determine the status of the rotator cuff tendon impingement…

Individually, none of the above mentioned tests can guarantee accuracy. But a combination of two or more of these tests is effective in determining the extent of rotator cuff impingement. Rotator cuff MRI is supposed to be the best among these tests and has a set of advantages.

This is a painless procedure and requires no needles. Rotator cuff MRI uses magnetic waves to show pictures of the shoulder and detect most full thickness tears. MRI scans show tendons as well as bones. This test is required before surgery for curing rotator cuff impingement. But not all rotator cuff MRIs lead to surgery.

Rotator cuff MRI however can miss in detecting small tears. It may not be able to distinguish between partially torn tendon and degenerative tendon. Rotator cuff MRI may not be able to detect partial thickness reliably.

Patients that have a cardiac pacemaker, ferromagnetic foreign bodies (particularly in the orbit), and some cochlear implants are not advised to go for Rotator cuff MRI. For them it is contra indicated. This procedure can be costly also. Patients that are claustrophobic in high-field-strength MRI scanners will have to be put in open MRI scanners. A mild sedative will have to be administered to calm them before the test.

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