Skip to main content
Article
Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography, MRI and MR arthrography in the characterisation of rotator cuff disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis
British Journal of Sports Medicine
  • Jean Sébastien Roy, Université Laval
  • Caroline BraÃn, Université Laval
  • Jean Leblond, Université Laval
  • François Desmeules, Hopital Maisonneuve-Rosemont
  • Clermont E. Dionne, Université Laval
  • Joy C. MacDermid, McMaster University, Faculty of Health Sciences
  • Nathalie J. Bureau, Centre Hospitalier de L'Universite de Montreal
  • Pierre Frémont, CHU de Québec - Université Laval
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2015
URL with Digital Object Identifier
10.1136/bjsports-2014-094148
Abstract

Background Different diagnostic imaging modalities, such as ultrasonography (US), MRI, MR arthrography (MRA) are commonly used for the characterisation of rotator cuff (RC) disorders. Since the most recent systematic reviews on medical imaging, multiple diagnostic studies have been published, most using more advanced technological characteristics. The first objective was to perform a meta-analysis on the diagnostic accuracy of medical imaging for characterisation of RC disorders. Since US is used at the point of care in environments such as sports medicine, a secondary analysis assessed accuracy by radiologists and nonradiologists. Methods A systematic search in three databases was conducted. Two raters performed data extraction and evaluation of risk of bias independently, and agreement was achieved by consensus. Hierarchical summary receiver-operating characteristic package was used to calculate pooled estimates of included diagnostic studies. Results Diagnostic accuracy of US, MRI and MRA in the characterisation of full-thickness RC tears was high with overall estimates of sensitivity and specificity over 0.90. As for partial RC tears and tendinopathy, overall estimates of specificity were also high (>0.90), while sensitivity was lower (0.67â"0.83). Diagnostic accuracy of US was similar whether a trained radiologist, sonographer or orthopaedist performed it. Conclusions Our results show the diagnostic accuracy of US, MRI and MRA in the characterisation of fullthickness RC tears. Since full thickness tear constitutes a key consideration for surgical repair, this is an important characteristic when selecting an imaging modality for RC disorder. When considering accuracy, cost, and safety, US is the best option.

Notes

This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
Citation Information
Jean Sébastien Roy, Caroline BraÃn, Jean Leblond, François Desmeules, et al.. "Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography, MRI and MR arthrography in the characterisation of rotator cuff disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis" British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 49 Iss. 20 (2015) p. 1316 - 1328
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/joy-macdermid/73/