European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Shoulder pain is one of the most common problems presenting in orthopaedic outpatient clinics. Rotator cuff pathology is the most common cause of shoulder pain. Both ultrasound and MRI are widely used to assess rotator cuff pathology. Accurate detection of site and size of rotator cuff tear is crucial for decision making and further management. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of ultrasound in detecting and evaluating the morphology and extent of rotator cuff tears as compared to MRI. Materials and Methods: This Hospital-based prospective study consists of  100 patients with shoulder pain with clinical suspicion of rotator cuff tear  referred to the department of radio diagnosis, Government General Hospital, Kurnool. For all the cases ultrasound was done first followed by MRI. Results: For full thickness tears USG showed sensitivity of 93.7%, specificity of 100%, PPV of 100%, and NPV of 97.1%; for partial thickness tears 91.8% sensitivity, 100 %specificity, 100% PPV, and NPV of 92.7% respectively when compared to MRI. The accuracy of USG in diagnosing full thickness tear was 98% and 96% for partial thickness tears. The P-value came out to be <0.01 for both full and partial thickness tears. Conclusion: Considering the comparable diagnostic accuracy of USG and MRI, Ultrasound can be used as a first-line investigation for diagnosis of Rotator cuff tears.  MRI should be used secondarily as a problem-solving  tool  following an equivocal shoulder USG or for delineation of anatomy in cases where surgical correction is needed.