Adhesive Capsulitis of the Shoulder: Value of Inferior Glenohumeral Ligament Signal Changes on T2-Weighted Fat-Saturated Images

Abstract

T2 capsular signal intensity change offers a high performance for the diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis without the need for IV or intraarticular contrast injection.

Diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis: comparison of contrast-enhanced MRI with noncontrast-enhanced MRI

“…12 CE T1-weighted fat-suppressed images, compared with T2-weighted images, do not add to the performance of axillary joint capsule analysis [2]. In that study, the authors also showed that their assessments of the axillary joint capsule were highly reliable both on T2-weighted and CE T1-weighted images.…”

“…Despite accumulating evidence of the usefulness of MRI for AC, only a few studies have reported on its diagnostic performance including sensitivity and specificity [2,7,11,23]. Even more limited is the information regarding the reliability of these MRI findings [2]. Therefore, in this study, we compared the diagnostic performance of non-CE and CE MRI for AC, and determined the diagnostic reliability of inter-observer agreement.…”

“…Some key MRI features of AC are related to capsular changes, including capsular thickening and T2 signal increase in the axillary recess, subcoracoid fat obliteration in the rotator interval, and contrast enhancement of the axillary and rotator interval joint capsule [2,9,11]. Emig et al [11] reported that axillary joint capsule thickening measured on non-CE MRI could be suggestive of AC.…”

“…In addition, Song et al [4] have reported on the use of indirect MR arthrography for the diagnosis of AC. Despite accumulating evidence of the usefulness of MRI for AC, only a few studies have reported on its diagnostic performance including sensitivity and specificity [2,7,11,23]. Even more limited is the information regarding the reliability of these MRI findings [2].…”

“…The diagnosis of AC is based on clinical presentation, medical history and physical examination. Other conditions, including those with atypical clinical manifestations [2,3], may mimic AC clinically; thus, imaging plays an important role in the detection and diagnosis of this disease.…”