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Complications of rotator cuff surgery—the role of post-operative imaging in patient care

2014; Wiley; Volume: 87; Issue: 1039 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1259/bjr.20130630

1748-880X

Ravindra Thakkar, Samarth Thakkar, Uma Srikumaran, Edward G. McFarland, Laura M. Fayad,

Nerve Injury and Rehabilitation

When pain or disability occurs after rotator cuff surgery, post-operative imaging is frequently performed. Post-operative complications and expected post-operative imaging findings in the shoulder are presented, with a focus on MRI, MR arthrography (MRA) and CT arthrography. MR and CT techniques are available to reduce image degradation secondary to surgical distortions of native anatomy and implant-related artefacts and to define complications after rotator cuff surgery. A useful approach to image the shoulder after surgery is the standard radiography, followed by MRI/MRA for patients with low "metal presence" and CT for patients who have a higher metal presence. However, for the assessment of patients who have undergone surgery for rotator cuff injuries, imaging findings should always be correlated with the clinical presentation because post-operative imaging abnormalities do not necessarily correlate with symptoms.