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Rotator Cuff and Impingement Symptoms

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Imaging of Orthopedic Sports Injuries

Part of the book series: Medical Radiology ((Med Radiol Diagn Imaging))

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Abstract

Shoulder pain is a common sports-related complaint that may be caused by rotator cuff-related abnormalities. Accurate imaging plays a pivotal role in direct timing and type of treatment and subsequential outcome.

Native MR imaging and ultrasonography are equally accurate and optimal and complementary tools to discriminate different forms of impingement symptoms and to localize and classify rotator cuff injuries. Currently, considering accuracy, safety, and cost, US is the preferred imaging modality to start with, when rotator cuff pathology is expected.

Partial-thickness rotator cuff tears are most commonly encountered in (overhead throwing) athletes, particularly on the articular side, which are best appreciated using MR arthrography including abduction-exorotation views. MR arthrography is also the preferred tool to rule out concurrent labral-ligamentous lesions and depict abnormalities related to posterosuperior (internal) impingement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Henk-Jan Van der Woude

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Derek van Deurzen

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Correspondence to Henk-Jan Van der Woude .

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  1. Department of Radiology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium

    Filip M. Vanhoenacker

  2. Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Mario Maas

  3. Department of Radiology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium

    Jan L.M.A. Gielen

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Van der Woude, HJ., van Deurzen, D. (2021). Rotator Cuff and Impingement Symptoms. In: Vanhoenacker, F.M., Maas, M., Gielen, J.L. (eds) Imaging of Orthopedic Sports Injuries. Medical Radiology(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/174_2020_252

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