The radiographic acromiohumeral interval is affected by arm and radiographic beam position

Abstract

Even in healthy shoulders, small changes in arm position and radiographic beam orientation affect the AHI in radiographs.

Acromiohumeral distance measurement in rotator cuff tendinopathy: is there a reliable, clinically applicable method? A systematic review

“…Among the six studies assessing the reliability of using radiographs to measure AHD, four included people with shoulder pain15 33––35 (with two including people with confirmed RC disease15 35) and a further two solely using pain-free participants 36 37. The mean age range of the shoulder pain participants was from 55 to 59 years, while the pain-free groups were in the 20–35 year age range (see online supplementary table S4).…”

“…The mean age range of the shoulder pain participants was from 55 to 59 years, while the pain-free groups were in the 20–35 year age range (see online supplementary table S4). Two studies each assessed either intra-rater36 37 or inter-rater reliability,15 35 while the remaining two studied both types of reliability 33 34. Three of the radiograph studies were deemed to be of high methodological quality 15 34 36…”

“…Three of the radiograph studies used standardised views,15 34 35 while Bernhardt et al 33 examined non-standardised films from various clinics, and Fehringer et al 36 studied the effect of differing beam angles. The majority of the studies examined the reliability of reading a single set of radiographs, whereas the Thompson et al 37 and Fehringer et al 36 studies measured the reliability of reading repeated films of the same participant, with each of the radiographs taken at a different angle or arm position in the Fehringer et al 36 study. Poor reliability was reported for the measurement of these different views.…”

“…The standardisation of imaging protocols for radiographs, CT and MRI are important elements in optimising reliability, clearly evidenced in the Bernhardt et al 33 and Fehringer et al 36 studies, where the use of non-standardised radiographs was shown to negatively influence reliability. As previously discussed in the review by Seitz and Michener 18 different landmarks were used for the measurement of AHD in some of the ultrasound reliability studies.…”

Does Radiographic Beam Angle Affect the Radiocapitellar Ratio Measurement of Subluxation in the Elbow?

“…The effect of radiographic beam angulation has been studied for several joints in the body [5,6]. Regarding the elbow, the appearance of distal fragment malrotation as a radiographic parameter in the evaluation of distal radial fractures has been reported [7].…”