MR arthrography gadolinium versus standard MR imaging in rotator cuff pathology

This paper compares the accuracy of MR imaging with and without intraarticular gadolinium in the diagnosis of rotator cuff pathology, using arthroscopy as the gold standard. The authors examined 36 patients, first with T2-weighted sequences and then with T1-weighted sequences after the injection of 15-20 mL of diluted gadolinium. The images were read blindly by three radiologists experienced in musculoskeletal MR imaging. The results were compared with those of arthroscopy. In 16 of 19 arthroscopically intact rotator cuffs, both sequences demonstrated no evidence of rotator cuff tear. The remaining three cases were interpreted as partial or full-thickness tears. Of 12 partial tears, T1-weighted images with intraarticular gadolinium demonstrated a partial tear in five, degeneration in four, a full thickness tear in two, and a normal rotator cuff in one