Shear Wave Elastography Can Predict Passive Stiffness of Supraspinatus Musculotendinous Unit During Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair for Presurgical Planning

Yoshiaki Itoigawa, Yuichiro Maruyama, Takayuki Kawasaki, Tomoki Wada, Keiichi Yoshida, Kai Nan An, Kazuo Kaneko

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the feasibility of shear wave elastography (SWE) with B-mode ultrasound in predicting the stiffness of the rotator cuff muscle before arthroscopic rotator cuff repair to evaluate the difficulty of the surgical procedure, as well as to compare SWE with the Goutallier stage on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: Thirty-eight patients with a full-thickness supraspinatus tear requiring arthroscopic rotator cuff repair participated. The Goutallier stage of fatty infiltration on MRI was measured before surgery, as was the SWE modulus of the anterior superficial, anterior deep, posterior superficial, and posterior deep (PD) regions of the supraspinatus muscle. To measure the stiffness of the supraspinatus musculotendinous unit during surgery, the supraspinatus tendon was axially stretched until the anatomic insertion site was reached, and force per deformation was recorded. The correlation between stiffness of the supraspinatus and SWE value in each region of the supraspinatus muscle or Goutallier stage was determined. In addition, patients were divided into 2 groups: (1) In the complete footprint coverage group, greater than 50% of the footprint was covered during the stiffness measurement, and (2) in the incomplete footprint coverage group, less than 50% of the footprint was covered during the stiffness measurement. Differences in SWE value and Goutallier stage were measured between the 2 groups. Results: The best correlation of stiffness with the SWE modulus of the PD muscle of the supraspinatus was R = 0.69, and the correlation of stiffness with the Goutallier stage on MRI was R = 0.48. The SWE value of the PD region was greater in the incomplete footprint coverage group than in the complete footprint coverage group, although the Goutallier stage was not significantly different. Conclusions: The highest correlation with stiffness of the supraspinatus musculotendinous unit was with the SWE modulus of the PD muscle, as compared with SWE evaluation of the other regions or the Goutallier stage on MRI. Ultrasound SWE can predict the stiffness of the supraspinatus musculotendinous unit best. Clinical Relevance: Rotator cuff retraction adds difficulty to arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Ultrasound SWE may be used for presurgical planning.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2276-2284
Number of pages9
JournalArthroscopy - Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery
Volume34
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2018

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Shear Wave Elastography Can Predict Passive Stiffness of Supraspinatus Musculotendinous Unit During Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair for Presurgical Planning'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this