Rotator Cuff Tear MRI
A rotator cuff tear MRI scan is one of the best methods available to accurately diagnose rotator cuff tears.
An MRI of torn rotator cuff tendons will enable a surgeon to see and measure a tear.
A rotator cuff MRI is known to have over 90% accuracy, even for the smallest tears.
An MRI scan is not a cure or a treatment and it is not suitable for everyone.
A large proportion of problems can be diagnosed without the use of an MRI scan.
It would be unusual for a person with just a mildly irritated rotator cuff to be referred for a scan.
An MRI is an expensive test.
They are reserved, generally, to either confirm the accuracy of a physical diagnosis or the need for surgery.
In its simplest terms an MRI provides an internal image of the body.
It can differentiate between bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments etc.
In building up a series of such images, across any particular joint, deformities can be clearly seen.
It is the accuracy of this internal image that is the key to diagnosis.
An MRI removes the guesswork.
A cuff MRI will show a tendon tear or indeed tendon degeneration (tendinopathy).
Benefits and limitations of rotator cuff tear MRI A MRI scan can accurately detect the majority of full thickness tears.
Very small pin point tears can be missed during the MRI of torn rotator cuff tendons.
Partial tears of the cuff present a different challenge.
Partial thickness tears are not as reliably diagnosed as full thickness tears.
This is because the MRI scan may not be able to completely distinguish between a degenerative tendon and a partially torn tendon.
There is one further option available.
An MRI combined with an injection of contrast material will give a more accurate picture.
An MR arthrogram is similar to the x-ray arthrography procedure that is described below.
Magnetic resonance arthrography can improve the differentiation of degeneration from partial or complete tears.
Not only that, but if a pin point tear is suspected, then an MR arthrogram is the most accurate method to confirm the diagnosis.
The routine use of MR arthrography is still not advised.
The test should only be performed where the diagnosis remains unclear.
Alternatives to MRI There are three other major methods for used to obtain internal images of the body
Arthrography is the x-ray examination of a joint that uses a special form of x-ray called fluoroscopy and a contrast material containing iodine.
Ultrasound is also known as ultrasound scanning or sonography.
It is a method of obtaining images from inside the human body through the use of high frequency sound waves.
CT or CAT scan- computed tomography (CT) or sometimes referred to as CAT scan (computerized axial tomography).
CT scans use highly enhanced x-ray technology If a rotator cuff tear MRI is recommended then it should be able to pinpoint the exact nature of any tear.
This will complete the diagnosis and allow a suitable treatment program to be decided.
An MRI of torn rotator cuff tendons will enable a surgeon to see and measure a tear.
A rotator cuff MRI is known to have over 90% accuracy, even for the smallest tears.
An MRI scan is not a cure or a treatment and it is not suitable for everyone.
A large proportion of problems can be diagnosed without the use of an MRI scan.
It would be unusual for a person with just a mildly irritated rotator cuff to be referred for a scan.
An MRI is an expensive test.
They are reserved, generally, to either confirm the accuracy of a physical diagnosis or the need for surgery.
In its simplest terms an MRI provides an internal image of the body.
It can differentiate between bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments etc.
In building up a series of such images, across any particular joint, deformities can be clearly seen.
It is the accuracy of this internal image that is the key to diagnosis.
An MRI removes the guesswork.
A cuff MRI will show a tendon tear or indeed tendon degeneration (tendinopathy).
Benefits and limitations of rotator cuff tear MRI A MRI scan can accurately detect the majority of full thickness tears.
Very small pin point tears can be missed during the MRI of torn rotator cuff tendons.
Partial tears of the cuff present a different challenge.
Partial thickness tears are not as reliably diagnosed as full thickness tears.
This is because the MRI scan may not be able to completely distinguish between a degenerative tendon and a partially torn tendon.
There is one further option available.
An MRI combined with an injection of contrast material will give a more accurate picture.
An MR arthrogram is similar to the x-ray arthrography procedure that is described below.
Magnetic resonance arthrography can improve the differentiation of degeneration from partial or complete tears.
Not only that, but if a pin point tear is suspected, then an MR arthrogram is the most accurate method to confirm the diagnosis.
The routine use of MR arthrography is still not advised.
The test should only be performed where the diagnosis remains unclear.
Alternatives to MRI There are three other major methods for used to obtain internal images of the body
- X-ray
- Ultrasound
- CT or CAT scan
Arthrography is the x-ray examination of a joint that uses a special form of x-ray called fluoroscopy and a contrast material containing iodine.
Ultrasound is also known as ultrasound scanning or sonography.
It is a method of obtaining images from inside the human body through the use of high frequency sound waves.
CT or CAT scan- computed tomography (CT) or sometimes referred to as CAT scan (computerized axial tomography).
CT scans use highly enhanced x-ray technology If a rotator cuff tear MRI is recommended then it should be able to pinpoint the exact nature of any tear.
This will complete the diagnosis and allow a suitable treatment program to be decided.
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