Ultrasound of the Month – Case 114
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Ultrasound of the Month – Case 114
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Ultrasound of the Month – Case 114
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Diagnosis: Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy with Subacromial Impingement of the Shoulder Rotator cuff tendinopathy is a common cause of shoulder pain in the adult. Subacromial impingement is often associated with rotator cuff tendinopathy, and it refers to structural abnormalities encroaching or impinging on the rotator cuff, usually the supraspinatus tendon, such as enthesophytes of the acromion or osteophytes of the acromioclavicular joint. Both MRI and ultrasound are accurate modalities for assessing the rotator cuff and for impingement. Ultrasound has the advantages of being quicker, more accessible, and more tolerable for the patient.
Ultrasound of the Month – Case 114
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Continued On ultrasound, thickening and heterogeneity of any of the four rotator cuff tendons are features of tendinopathy/tendinosis. Partial thickness or full thickness discontinuity of the tendon represents a tear of the rotator cuff, usually in the background of tendinopathy/tendinosis. Thickening and/or fluid distension of the subacromial subdeltoid bursa can be seen with rotator cuff pathology. On ultrasound, bunching or “crowding” of the bursa during abduction of the shoulder is a fairly specific sign of subacromial impingement.
Ultrasound of the Month – Case 114
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