Role of conventional MRI and MR arthrography in evaluating shoulder joint capsulolabral-ligamentous injuries in athletic versus non-athletic population

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess diagnostic value of direct MR arthrography compared to conventional MR imaging in the diagnosis of different pathologic entities affecting the capsule-labral complex in athletic and non-athletic population.Subjects and methodsThis study included 60 patients complaining of shoulder pain. Conventional MRI and MR arthrography (MRA) were done for all cases. The musculoskeletal radiologist reviewed the images for evidence of pathologies of the labroligamentous complex. Inter-observer agreement was determined with kappa statistics, and the diagnostic accuracy of each technique was calculated.ResultsComparing the sensitivity of conventional MRI versus MRA was done by correlating the final diagnosis of each modality with the results of arthroscopy. MRI revealed sensitivity (SEN) of 72%, specificity (SPE) of 78%, while MRA revealed a SEN of 78%, SPE of 100%, PPV of 100%, and NPV of 21%.ConclusionMR techniques cannot replace arthroscopy; however, they could be a potent additional tool for diagnosis of the main pathological affection of the shoulder joint guided by the type of the population, which proved to have good impact on the diagnosis. The capsulolabral and ligamentous injuries are more common at the athletic group while the non-athletic population are more prone to rotator cuff tendons injury.