This cadaver study asks what MR signal abnormalities of the rotator cuff and glenoid labrum actually represent at the tissue level. Six fresh frozen human shoulders underwent MR imaging with and without intraarticular Gadolinium, then systematic dissection and histologic grading. The goal was to correlate gross, MR, and histologic findings in the absence of a discrete tear.
When you read a shoulder MR showing increased supraspinatus signal without a clear tear, this study tells you what that signal means: degeneration of the tendon, not active inflammation. That distinction matters because tendinosis does not respond to anti-inflammatory treatment the way a resident might assume from the older term tendinitis.
The more important teaching point is restraint. Histologic degeneration outran both MR and gross appearance in every tissue, and the labral findings correlated poorly with imaging even using Gadolinium arthrography. Paired with the cited Sher data (26% partial and 28% full thickness cuff tears in asymptomatic people over 60), the message is clear.
MR signal abnormality is common, often asymptomatic, and must be interpreted alongside history and physical exam before it drives any surgical decision.
This cadaver study asks what MR signal abnormalities of the rotator cuff and glenoid labrum actually represent at the tissue level. Six fresh frozen human shoulders underwent MR imaging with and without intraarticular Gadolinium, then systematic dissection and histologic grading. The goal was to correlate gross, MR, and histologic findings in the absence of a discrete tear.
When you read a shoulder MR showing increased supraspinatus signal without a clear tear, this study tells you what that signal means: degeneration of the tendon, not active inflammation. That distinction matters because tendinosis does not respond to anti-inflammatory treatment the way a resident might assume from the older term tendinitis.
The more important teaching point is restraint. Histologic degeneration outran both MR and gross appearance in every tissue, and the labral findings correlated poorly with imaging even using Gadolinium arthrography. Paired with the cited Sher data (26% partial and 28% full thickness cuff tears in asymptomatic people over 60), the message is clear.
MR signal abnormality is common, often asymptomatic, and must be interpreted alongside history and physical exam before it drives any surgical decision.