MR imaging of the shoulder after surgery.

Objective: This study examines the usefulness of MR imaging for assessing patients who have undergone shoulder surgery and have persistent postoperative complaints.

Subjects And Methods: Fifty patients with persistent postoperative shoulder pain underwent MR imaging before second-look arthroscopy. The MR imaging findings were correlated with findings at surgery.

Results: With surgical findings as the gold standard, we found MR imaging to be 100% sensitive and 87% specific in revealing full- or partial-thickness supraspinatus tendon tears. MR imaging was 84% sensitive and 87% specific in revealing residual impingement. The positive predictive value of MR imaging for diagnosing partial-thickness tears of the supraspinatus tendon was 56%. With this exception, the MR imaging findings correlated well with findings at arthroscopic second-look surgery.

Conclusion: In patients who have undergone shoulder surgery, MR imaging is useful in pinpointing disorders and in planning for second-look surgery in patients with persistent postoperative complaints.