The Ultrasonographic Features of Shoulder Pain Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in South China

Abstract

Background and Objective. Musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging can play a role as an accurate tool in offering an accurate diagnosis of shoulder pain. However, it is still not commonly used in mainland China. The aim of this study was to explore the epidemiology and ultrasound imaging characteristics of shoulder pain patients in south China and hoping to use these data in the future development of artificial intelligent ultrasound interpretation of shoulder pathology. Methods. Patients with shoulder pain were recruited in an outpatient rehabilitation clinic at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University from January 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018. These shoulder pain patients with or without limitation in joint movement can be included in the study. All of them received musculoskeletal ultrasound scanning. Demographic and imaging data including age, gender, duration of shoulder pain, pain side, and pathologies found by musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging were collected and analyzed. Patients were divided into three groups: <45 years (young group), between 45 and 60 years (middle-aged group), and >60 years (elderly group). The rates of various shoulder pathologies were evaluated and compared between the groups. Results. This study recruited a total of 346 patients with shoulder pain. There were more female (62.1%) than male patients (37.9%), with the largest number of patients in the 45-60 years of age group (40.5%). Forty-eight percent of patients had shoulder pain within a period of 3 months. A total of 380 shoulders were assessed using musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging. The occurrence rate of subacromial disorder (83.8%) was the highest. The rate of supraspinatus tendinopathy, acromioclavicular joint degeneration, and adhesive shoulder capsulitis varied significantly between age groups (P<0.05). The rate of acromioclavicular joint degeneration was the highest in the elderly group followed by the middle-aged and young groups (P<0.0167). The rate of supraspinatus tendinopathy and adhesive capsulitis in the middle-aged and elderly groups was significantly higher than that in the young group (P<0.0167). Conclusions. Musculoskeletal ultrasound can be a useful imaging tool in making an accurate diagnosis of shoulder pain. The occurrence rates of different shoulder pain pathologies in all age groups were thoroughly calculated in this study. More female and more subcoracoid disorder patients than western countries are attributed to repetitive lifting in daily life and work in this study. Correlations between these pathologies and their associated images can be a solid foundation for the development of artificial intelligence in diagnosing the cause of shoulder pain.

Efficacy of ultrasound in diagnosis and treatment of the shoulder – A systematic review

“…In the case of studies in which the study group consisted of patients with hemiplegia due to stroke, ultrasonographic assessment of shoulder structures allows for an analysis of shoulder pain with paresis, and redirection to another specialist or modification of the treatment at the same time [30,34]. The use of RUSI in the field of musculoskeletal disorders allows for an analysis of shoulder diseases in terms of morphological damage to structures and functions, enabling the correct clinical decision to be made [13,14,17,22,23,36,39,54]. Control of integrity of the re- Results not yet published doi.org/10.56984/8ZG1A6k5q constructed tendons and of trophic functions of the rotator cuff muscles allows for a safe patient guidance during recuperation period [54].…”

Role of Ultrasound in Diagnosis of Common Shoulder Lesions.

“…An age of 40 years or older was most strongly related to rotator cuff disease. In another study (9), a total of 380 shoulders were assessed using musculoskeletal US imaging. Other researchers (6) reported in their study that US was effective imaging modality for detection of Rotator cuff tears with an US agreement to MRI was 90% for full thickness tears and 85.5% for partialthickness tears.…”