Incidental Rotator Cuff Abnormalities on Magnetic Resonance Imaging - PubMed
6 days ago
- #MRI
- #rotator cuff
- #shoulder pain
- Shoulder pain is commonly linked to rotator cuff (RC) abnormalities, but the association between imaging findings and symptoms is uncertain.
- A population-based study in Finland found that 98.7% of adults aged 41-76 had RC abnormalities on MRI, including tendinopathy (25%), partial-thickness tears (62%), and full-thickness tears (11%).
- RC abnormalities were nearly universal after age 40, present in 96% of asymptomatic shoulders and 98% of symptomatic shoulders, suggesting they may represent normal age-related changes rather than disease.
- Only full-thickness tears (FTTs) were slightly more common in symptomatic shoulders (14.6%) than asymptomatic shoulders (6.5%), but the difference was not significant after adjustment.
- The study questions the clinical value of routine imaging for atraumatic shoulder pain, as RC abnormalities showed poor concordance with symptoms.