Comparison of the results of ultrasonographic evaluation and arthroscopy in patients scheduled for surgery of the supraspinatus tendon rupture

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to compare the findings of the shoulder ultrasonography (US) of patients with a supraspinatus (SS) tendon rupture with those of the shoulder arthroscopy, to determine the reliability and diagnostic performance of the shoulder US in the algorithm of the SS tendon pathologic lesions and their secondary ultrasonographic findings. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: A prospective study conducted with patients scheduled for arthroscopy of the shoulder due to an SS tendon rupture in Yildirım Beyazit Education and Research Center and Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty patients scheduled for an arthroscopy of the shoulder due to an SS tendon rupture were evaluated by shoulder US 1 week before the surgery. SS tendon pathologic lesions (tendinosis, partial tears, and full-thickness tears) and humeral degeneration were recorded, and the results of shoulder US were compared with those of arthroscopy. RESULTS: With reference to the arthroscopic data, the sensitivity of the ultrasonographic evaluation for the diagnosis of a full-thickness SS tendon rupture was 91%, with a specificity of 88%; the sensitivity for the diagnosis of a partial-thickness rupture was 86%, with a specificity of 82%; and the sensitivity for the diagnosis of a tendinosis was 98%, with a specificity of 71%. With reference to the arthroscopic data, the sensitivity of US for the diagnosis of humeral degeneration was 93%, with a specificity of 91%. CONCLUSION: The high sensitivity and specificity rates of US in detecting SS tendon rupture and its secondary imaging findings make it an efficient and reliable diagnostic modality, which should be preferred to other more expensive and more invasive methods in the algorithm.