The presence and degree of fatty muscle replacement can also be used as an indirect sign of a rotator cuff tear [60,61]. Administration of IV contrast does not improve evaluation. CT Shoulder The inherent limited tissue-contrast resolution of CT detracts from its ability to detect rotator cuff tears. CT shows promise in assessing the location of the glenoid and humeral components of reverse shoulder prostheses in the setting of soft-tissue impingement [62]. Administration of IV contrast does not improve evaluation. Fluoride PET/CT Skull Base to Mid-Thigh Nuclear medicine examinations are not typically ordered for the evaluation of rotator cuff tendon abnormalities. Imaging After Shoulder Arthroplasty MRI Shoulder Evolving MRI methods with improved image quality and metal artifact reduction have rendered the modality a more feasible technique for the diagnosis of component loosening, rotator cuff tearing, and, in the presence of hemiarthroplasty, glenoid cartilage wear [37-39,58]. MRI can be used to evaluate for rotator cuff tendon tearing in the setting of shoulder arthroplasty [38,39]. Advanced metal reduction techniques can reduce the prosthesis-related artifact and thus improve visualization of the rotator cuff tendons and any associated pathology [37,38]. Compared with the other imaging techniques, MRI can also provide a more global evaluation of the arthroplasty components as well as the surrounding soft tissues [37,38]. MRI with metal reduction techniques can also demonstrate failure of subscapularis tendon repair in the setting of arthroplasty, the most common location for rotator cuff pathology in this setting [38]. There are multiple techniques used to release the subscapularis tendon during arthroplasty placement, including tenotomy, osteotomy, and peel [10].
Imaging After Shoulder Arthroplasty PCAs. The presence and degree of fatty muscle replacement can also be used as an indirect sign of a rotator cuff tear [60,61]. Administration of IV contrast does not improve evaluation. CT Shoulder The inherent limited tissue-contrast resolution of CT detracts from its ability to detect rotator cuff tears. CT shows promise in assessing the location of the glenoid and humeral components of reverse shoulder prostheses in the setting of soft-tissue impingement [62]. Administration of IV contrast does not improve evaluation. Fluoride PET/CT Skull Base to Mid-Thigh Nuclear medicine examinations are not typically ordered for the evaluation of rotator cuff tendon abnormalities. Imaging After Shoulder Arthroplasty MRI Shoulder Evolving MRI methods with improved image quality and metal artifact reduction have rendered the modality a more feasible technique for the diagnosis of component loosening, rotator cuff tearing, and, in the presence of hemiarthroplasty, glenoid cartilage wear [37-39,58]. MRI can be used to evaluate for rotator cuff tendon tearing in the setting of shoulder arthroplasty [38,39]. Advanced metal reduction techniques can reduce the prosthesis-related artifact and thus improve visualization of the rotator cuff tendons and any associated pathology [37,38]. Compared with the other imaging techniques, MRI can also provide a more global evaluation of the arthroplasty components as well as the surrounding soft tissues [37,38]. MRI with metal reduction techniques can also demonstrate failure of subscapularis tendon repair in the setting of arthroplasty, the most common location for rotator cuff pathology in this setting [38]. There are multiple techniques used to release the subscapularis tendon during arthroplasty placement, including tenotomy, osteotomy, and peel [10].