Prospective ultrasonographic study of 411 asymptomatic volunteers over age 50 measuring the prevalence of full-thickness rotator cuff tears across four age decades. The central question: how common are rotator cuff tears in people with no shoulder symptoms, and does that frequency change with age?
When you see a full-thickness rotator cuff tear on ultrasound or MRI in an older patient, remember that prevalence in asymptomatic individuals reaches 51% past age 80 — confirm the tear correlates with the patient's actual symptoms and functional deficits before attributing pain to the imaging finding or recommending surgery.
Prospective ultrasonographic study of 411 asymptomatic volunteers over age 50 measuring the prevalence of full-thickness rotator cuff tears across four age decades. The central question: how common are rotator cuff tears in people with no shoulder symptoms, and does that frequency change with age?
When you see a full-thickness rotator cuff tear on ultrasound or MRI in an older patient, remember that prevalence in asymptomatic individuals reaches 51% past age 80 — confirm the tear correlates with the patient's actual symptoms and functional deficits before attributing pain to the imaging finding or recommending surgery.