Sono-elastography findings of supraspinatus tendon in supraspinatus tendinopathy and tear: comparison study with magnetic resonance imaging

BackgroundRotator cuff disorders are the main causes of chronic shoulder instability and pain. Diagnostic imaging is important to guide treatment decisions with magnetic resonance imaging, which is considered the reference standard for rotator cuff evaluation. Sono-elastography is a noninvasive and reliable ultrasound technique that provides qualitative as well as quantitative assessment of tendon quality through alteration in the tissue composition before alteration in tendon echogenicity or thickness on the conventional US.PurposeTo assess the role of shear wave sonoelastography in the evaluation of supraspinatus tendon abnormalities.To assess the association between SWE and grades of tendon abnormalities on MRI (the standard imaging in the evaluation of rotator cuff abnormalities).ResultsThe shear wave velocity (SWV) was notably low (reduced tendon stiffness) in patients with supraspinatus tendinopathy and tear (mean SWV for the supraspinatus tendon in cases of tendinopathy/tear was 3.91 m/s with a standard deviation of 0.67, while the mean SWV for normal supraspinatus tendons was 6.93 m/s with a standard deviation 0.57), and a significant difference was found in SWV values between cases and controls (P < 0.001).Also, there were significant differences between the patients with different grades of tendon abnormalities (P < 0.001), with a highly significant inverse correlation observed between the measured SWV and grades of tendon abnormalities on MRI (P < 0.001).ConclusionsSonoelastography showed tendon softening in supraspinatus tendinopathy and tear with a good correlation to the MRI, making it a reproducible and low-cost imaging modality that can be a complementary tool to the US in the evaluation of shoulder disorders, especially when MRI is not allowed.