MRI Appearances of Parsonage-Turner Syndrome.

Abstract

A 67-year man with a history of complex left shoulder injury was referred by orthopaedic surgeons to radiology department for left shoulder, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to rule out a rotator cuff tear. No previous left shoulder MRI had been performed. Left shoulder MRI showed an articular partial tear of posterior supraspinatus tendon at its foot-plate. There was significant oedema and signal change in supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles. Mild fluid was also evident around rotator cuff muscles and some of altered signals extended upto the tendon. There was severe chronic atrophy of supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles. This raised the possibility of Parsonage-Turner syndrome with superadded traumatic changes in left shoulder (Figure 1 and 2).