Efficacy of Diagnostic In-Office Shoulder Ultrasound in the Surgical Treatment of Full-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears.

Background: Early surgical management of full-thickness traumatic rotator cuff tears (RCTs) may optimize functional outcomes, prioritizing timely diagnoses. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are highly sensitive and specific modalities for RCT diagnosis, yet MRI remains the gold standard diagnostic tool despite increased costs and potential delays in care. Ultrasound can provide same-day diagnosis, thus possibly expediting care.

Hypothesis: The use of diagnostic shoulder ultrasound alone in the orthopaedic surgeon's office could increase the efficiency of diagnosis and care of traumatic full-thickness RCTs compared with MRI.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients with full-thickness traumatic RCT diagnosed via ultrasound or MRI who subsequently underwent rotator cuff repair with 1 of 2 ultrasound-trained surgeons between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2019, was performed. Inclusion criteria included patients ≥18 years old, documentation of a first-time traumatic event, and the patient's desire to have immediate surgical management. Revision surgeries, long-term shoulder instability, and nontraumatic injuries were excluded. Basic demographic data were collected, and the number of preoperative office visits and the timing from initial evaluation to diagnosis and surgery were calculated for the ultrasound and the MRI cohorts. A power analysis of 0.8 with an alpha of .05 required 38 patients per group.

Results: Overall, 133 patients were diagnosed via MRI compared with 76 via ultrasound. Besides body mass index, there were no significant differences in demographic variables or insurance status. Compared with the MRI cohort, patients in the ultrasound cohort received their diagnosis almost 2 weeks faster ( < .0001), were scheduled for surgery almost 3 weeks faster ( < .0001), and underwent surgery 2 weeks faster after initial evaluation ( < .0001) while requiring nearly half as many clinical visits ( < .0001). Regression analysis confirmed that ultrasound significantly reduced time to imaging, scheduling, and surgery after initial evaluation while requiring fewer clinical visits ( < .05).

Conclusion: The study findings indicated that ultrasound was a time-saving alternative diagnostic modality for traumatic RCT compared with MRI without compromising standard of care. These results were achieved independent of patient insurance status, disability index, or other demographic variables.