Partial Rotator Cuff

Roberts CS, Walker JA, Seligson D (2001) Diagnostic capabilities of shoulder ultrasonography in the detection of complete and partial rotator cuff tears. Am J Orthop 30 159-162... 

The patient s arm is elevated to 90 degrees of abduction and released. If there is a tear in the rotator cuff muscles, the arm will drop. If the tear is partial, by tapping on the arm the physician will cause it to drop. 

The classification of rotator cuff tears is somewhat confusing because different terms have been inappropriately used with the same meaning. In an effort to better understand the type of tendon tear and to standardize the observations of various examiners, the rotator cuff should be thought of in a three-dimensional view. A tear must be considered incomplete when it involves only a part of the tendon width on short-axis planes (Fig. 6.68a,b). Incomplete tears may be in turn subdivided into partial-thickness (Fig. 6.68a) or full-thickness (Fig. 6.68b) types depending on whether they result in an abnormal communication of the glenohumeral joint and the... 

Yen CH, Chiou HJ, Chou YH et al (2004) Six surgery correlated sonographic signs for rotator cuff tears emphasis on partial-thickness tear. Clin Imaging 28 69-76 Zarins B, Rowe CR (1984) Current concepts in the diagnosis and treatment of shoulder instability in athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc 16 444-448... 

The advisability of corticosteroid injection into the glenohumeral joint of patients with rotator cuff pathology is debated. Some authors prefer not to inject the drug in patients with partial-thickness tears of the rotator cuff to prevent progression of tendon damage. Others believe that injection inside the subacromial bursa can be rather safe in these circumstances. 

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