Involvement of the anterior portion of the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa in the painful shoulder.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to verify that increased widening of the anterior portion of the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa is associated with anteromedial shoulder pain.

Materials And Methods: Bursography, sonography, and CT were performed in six cadaver shoulders and compared with anatomic sections in neutral position and while the humerus was extended and internally rotated. For the clinical study, the width of the anterior portion of the bursa was measured in both positions in both shoulders of 27 patients referred because of shoulder pain and in eight asymptomatic volunteers.