Are shoulder surgeons any good at diagnosing rotator cuff tears using ultrasound?: A comparative analysis of surgeon vs radiologist

Funk, L; Harris, J; Jeyam, M

Abstract

High-resolution ultrasound has gained increasing popularity as an aid in the diagonsis of rotator cuff pathology. With the advent of portable machines, ultrasound has become accessible to clincians.
Aim: this study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of ultrasound in diagnosing rotator cuff tears by a shoulder surgeon and comparing their ability to that of a musculoskeletal radiologist.
Materials and Methods: seventy patients undergoing shoulder arthroscopy for rotator cuff pathology underwent preoperative ultrasonography (US). All patients were of similar demographics and pathology. The surgeon used a Sonosite Micromax portable ultrasound machine with a 10-MHz high frequency linear array transducer and the radiologist used a 9-12 MHz linear array probe on a Siemens Antares machine. Arthroscopic diagnosis was the reference standard to which ultrasound findings were compared.
Results: the sensitivity in detecting full thickness tears was similar for both the surgeon (92%) and the radiologist (94%). The radiologist had 100% sensitivity in diagnosing partial thickness tears, compared to 85.7% for the surgeon. The specificity for the surgeon was 94% and 85% for the radiologist.
Discussion: our study shows that the surgeons are capable of diagnosing rotator cuff tears with the use of high-resolution portable ultrasound in the outpatient setting.
Conclusion: office ultrasound, by a trained clinician, is a powerful diagnostic tool in diagnosing rotator cuff tears and can be used effectively in running one-stop shoulder clinics.

Citation

Funk, L., Harris, J., & Jeyam, M. (2008). Are shoulder surgeons any good at diagnosing rotator cuff tears using ultrasound?: A comparative analysis of surgeon vs radiologist. International Journal of Shoulder Surgery, 2(1), 4-6. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-6042.39580

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2008
• Deposit Date: Jun 9, 2011
• Journal: International Journal of Shoulder Surgery
• Print ISSN: 0973-6042
• Publisher: Medknow Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 4-6
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-6042.39580
• Keywords: Shoulder, ultrasound
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0973-6042.39580