VANCOUVER, BC – Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) done at a 3.0 Tesla strength is comparable to arthroscopy for detecting cartilage tears in the shoulder, according to Thomas Magee, MD, of the Neuroskeletal Imaging Institute in Merritt Island, Florida.

"With MRI, we can diagnose tears without the need for arthroscopy, so many patients won't have to undergo surgery." —Thomas Magee, MD
Dr. Magee reported at the American Roentgen Ray Society 2006 Annual Meeting that a retrospective review of MR images in 100 patients with shoulder injuries found that the 3.0 Tesla imaging detected shoulder cartilage tears in 42 of 46 cases later confirmed by arthroscopy. The MRI scans picked up 19 of 21 superior labral anterior to posterior (SLAP) tears, 16 of 18 anterior labral tears, and 6 of 7 posterior labral tears.1

This study is one of the first to assess the sensitivity and specificity of MR imaging at 3.0 Tesla (rather than the more common 1.5 Tesla) for detecting labral tears, as compared with arthroscopy. Scans were classified as having SLAP tears, anterior tears, or posterior labral tears. All patients had proton density, fat-saturated axial oblique coronal T1 and fat-saturated intermediate weighted oblique coronal and oblique sagittal images performed.

Dr. Magee recommends 3.0 Tesla MRI as a part of the standard workup for diagnosing shoulder cartilage tears. "Some doctors advocate using arthroscopy on every patient, but with MRI, we can diagnose tears without the need for arthroscopy, so many patients won't have to undergo surgery," he said.

One strong point of this study is that it was done in a community medical center. Dr. Magee emphasized that using MR imaging in this way to detect shoulder cartilage injuries requires no special training or equipment beyond what would typically be available in a community hospital.

Dr. Magee concludes, "Three-point-zero MR imaging of the shoulder is very sensitive and specific as compared with arthroscopy in detection of superior, anterior, and posterior labral tears."

Reference

  1. Magee TH, Willams DS. Sensitivity and specificity in detection of labral tears with 3.0 Tesla MR imaging of the shoulder. Presented at: American Roentgen Ray Society 106th Annual Meeting; April 30–May 5; Vancouver, BC. Abstract 52.