Juhani Ahovuo

Surgical repair of the rotator cuff and surrounding tissues. Factors influencing the results.

The surgical pathology and clinical results of 78 reconstructions of chronic rotator cuff tears were reviewed retrospectively. The predominant complaint preoperatively was chronic pain with impaired shoulder function, resistant to repeated conservative treatment. Results according to a functional assessment were excellent or satisfactory in 71% of the patients, unsatisfactory in 12%, and failed in 17%. Relief of pain including night pain and pain with activity was obtained. Surgery should include a thorough exploration of the rotator cuff and the adjacent tissues. Accompanying problems, including biceps tendon disorders or impingement factors, must be recognized and treated at the time of the reconstruction procedure. Repair of the torn rotator cuff and treatment of concomitant lesions are effective operative procedures when symptoms are persistent and fail to respond to conservative treatment.

Ultrasonography and arthrography in the diagnosis of tears of the rotator cuff.

The accuracy of ultrasonography and arthrography in the prediction of lesions of the rotator cuff was evaluated and compared with the operative findings in a retrospective study of forty-nine patients (forty-nine shoulders). In the detection of full-thickness (stage-III) tears of the rotator cuff, ultrasonography had an over-all sensitivity of 74 per cent, a specificity of 95 per cent, an accuracy of 84 per cent, a predictive value of a positive test of 95 per cent, and a predictive value of a negative test of 75 per cent. In contrast, arthrography demonstrated a sensitivity of 93 per cent, a specificity of 95 per cent, an accuracy of 94 per cent, a predictive value of a positive test of 96 per cent, and a predictive value of a negative test of 91 per cent. Ultrasonography could not reliably differentiate between partial (stage-II) and full-thickness (stage-III) tears. Lesions of the long head of the biceps brachii tendon were recorded by ultrasonography for twenty-two patients (45 per cent) and by arthrography for eleven patients (22 per cent). The ultrasonographic finding of fluid in the sheath of this tendon is not a reliable sign of a lesion in the tendon.

Diagnostic value of sonography in lesions of the biceps tendon

Lesions of the biceps tendon have been studied with plain radiographs and arthrograms of the intertubercular groove. Sometimes, however, especially when the rotator cuff has a full-thickness tear anteriorly, the sheath of the biceps tendon fails to fill with contrast medium, thus preventing diagnosis of dislocation of the tendon. To solve this problem the authors have tried sonography of the biceps tendon. The suitability of sonography for examining the intertubercular groove and the biceps tendon was assessed in ten volunteers. Thirty patients with chronic shoulder pain were subsequently studied by radiography, arthrography, and sonography. The observations made with these examinations were compared, and in 21 of the patients who were treated by operation with the surgical observations as well. Sonography seemed to provide accurate information about the configuration of the intertubercular groove and the position of the biceps tendon. The technique could be used to show dislocation of the tendon in cases in which the tendon sheath is not visualized in arthrography. Tenderness and the site of this in relation to the anterior upper end of the humerus could also be verified with sonography.

Colour Doppler ultrasound evaluation of haemodynamic changes in free tram flaps and their donor sites.

Colour Doppler ultrasound (US) was used to measure the blood flow in the donor and recipient arteries as well as in the deep superior epigastric artery of 10 patients having free transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flaps. The peak, minimum and mean velocities, the diameter of the vessel, and the resistance index of both the deep superior and inferior epigastric arteries and thoracodorsal arteries were recorded preoperatively and at 4-6 and 15-30 days postoperatively. Colour Doppler US showed increased minimum velocity and decreased resistance index in the pedicle ( p < 0.05) throughout the follow-up when compared with the baseline. In the ipsilateral superior epigastric artery the mean and minimum velocities increased ( p < 0.05) while the resistance index decreased ( p < 0.05) during the first month postoperatively. No changes were recorded in the opposite epigastric arteries or in the control vessel (opposite thoracodorsal artery). In all patients the diameter of the deep inferior epigastric artery was larger than that of the superior epigastric and remained so after the transfer. From the fourth to the thirtieth postoperative day blood flow increased in the free TRAM flap, presumably because of decreased vascular resistance. Blood flow also increased in the superior epigastic artery on the donor side after free TRAM transfer as expected (indicating the delay phenomenon), but harvesting the flap did not affect the circulation in the opposite rectus abdominis muscle. The inferior epigastric arterial system was dominant in all patients.

Subacromial impingement decompressed with anterior acromioplasty.

Symptomatic (Stage II) impingement of the rotator cuff against the coracoacromial arch has been treated with anterior acromioplasty in 60 shoulders in 56 patients. Patient selection is crucial. Arthrography of the shoulder was routinely included in the preoperative diagnostic tools to rule out a tear of the rotator cuff. Since acromial shape may play a role producing a resistant impingement syndrome, special attention should be paid to patients with Type III of acromial inclination. The surgical procedure should include a thorough examination of the subacromial space as a whole, taking notice of all pathologic findings in the subacromial arch as well as in the underlying soft tissues. Restoring subacromial clearance, the patients were relieved of their symptoms. The result, rated according to the functional assessment of Neer, was excellent or satisfactory in 73%. Failure to recognize the associated bony as well as soft-tissue subacromial lesions was, however, a frequent cause of failure of surgical decompression operations.

Recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder: Results of Eden-Hybbinette and Putti-Platt operations

The results of surgery in 74 cases of recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder are reported. The procedures used were Eden-Hybbinette (E-H) in 48 cases and Putti-Platt (P-P) in 26 cases. The recurrence rate in the 62 shoulder joints re-examined some 4 years postoperatively was 3/41 in E-H cases and 3/21 in P-P cases. The clinical results were excellent in 46 cases, satisfactory in 11, unsatisfactory in four and poor in one case without notable difference between the methods. A restriction of the outward rotation of more than 10 degrees could be observed in half the cases regardless of method. Radiographically, the Bankart lesion of the glenoid rim could be observed in two-thirds of the cases and osteoarthrosis of the glenohumeral joint was evident in one tenth. The transplanted bone block used in the E-H reconstruction was still in position in the majority but some degree of resorption could usually be observed. These observations did not correlate with the clinical results.

Radiographic diagnosis of biceps tendinitis

The radiographic findings and arthrographic image of the intertubercular groove and the biceps tendon were analysed in 143 patients with chronic shoulder pain. Forty-eight patients had been operated on, and of these 33 had tendinitis, caused by attrition in a narrow intertubercular groove in 17 cases, by medial dislocation of the biceps tendon in 11 cases, and by impingement associated with rupture of the rotator cuff in five cases. Plain radiographs revealed degenerative changes in the walls of the groove in half of the patients with biceps tendinitis. A shallow groove was seen in cases of medial dislocation of the biceps tendon, but also in many with a normal tendon. The arthrogram, however, showed whether a shallow groove was associated with dislocation of the tendon. In patients with attrition tendinitis the groove had a depth of 4.8 mm or more or an inclination of the medial wall of 58 degrees or more. Radiographic measurements of the dimensions of the intertubercular groove may provide valuable information on the state of the biceps tendon.

The diagnostic value of arthrography and plain radiography in rotator cuff tears

In 26 patients with surgically verified rotator cuff tears, the findings at radiography and arthrography were analysed. Plain anteroposterior radiograms were of no value in diagnosis. In plain groove-films, the slope of the medial wall and the depth of the intertubercular groove correlated with dislocations of the biceps tendon. In arthrography, leakage of the contrast medium into the subacromial or subdeltoid bursa was a reliable sign of a full-thickness tear. There was no correlation between the size of the tear measured at arthrography and at surgery. In cases where the biceps tendon sheath was visualised, the appearance was in agreement with the surgical findings.

Arthrotomography of the unstable shoulder

Thirty-seven patients suffering from clinically verified subluxation of the shoulder joint underwent double-contrast arthrotomography. Sixteen of these patients were operated on, 4 of whom after arthroscopy, and 1 patient had only arthroscopy. Arthrotomography readily revealed lesions of the glenoid labrum, most of them small, and also redundancy of the anterior joint capsule. The method can be recommended in the examination of the glenoid labrum in patients suffering from anterior subluxation of the shoulder.

The intraarticular pressure during shoulder arthrography: a diagnostic aid in rotator cuff tear

The intraarticular pressure was determined in 24 shoulders during glenohumeral joint arthrography. As the contrast volume increased, the pressure stayed low in the shoulders with a tear of the rotator cuff and rose along a characteristic biphasic curve in intact shoulders. Simultaneous monitoring of the intraarticular pressure can improve the diagnostic value of arthrography.