Higher-Strength MRI Detects Shoulder Cartilage Tears

Researchers say the procedure may help some patients avoid arthroscopy for shoulder injuries

MONDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- Higher-strength magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3.0 Tesla is comparable to arthroscopy in identifying cartilage tears in the shoulder, according to research presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society in Vancouver, Canada.

Thomas Magee, M.D., of the Neuroskeletal Imaging Institute in Merritt Island, Fla., and colleagues reviewed the shoulder MRIs of 100 consecutive patients, 67 of whom also underwent arthroscopy to detect shoulder cartilage tears.

Of those 67 patients, the researchers diagnosed 46 with torn cartilage. They found that 3.0-Tesla MRI could detect tears in 42 of those patients.

"Some doctors advocate using arthroscopy on every patient, but with MRI, we can diagnose tears without the need for arthroscopy, so many patients won't have to undergo surgery," Magee said in a statement.

Abstract (#052)

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