J Korean Med Sci.  2016 Sep;31(9):1472-1478. 10.3346/jkms.2016.31.9.1472.

Ultrasound Dimensions of the Rotator Cuff and Other Associated Structures in Korean Healthy Adults

• Kim K
• Kim HG
• Song D
• Yoon JY
• Chung ME

• KMID: 2468282
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2016.31.9.1472

Abstract

In evaluating patients complaining of shoulder pain, ultrasonography is an emerging imaging tool due to convenience, low cost, high sensitivity and specificity. However, normative values of ultrasound dimensions of the shoulder to be compared with pathologic findings in Korean adults are not provided yet. We evaluated the ultrasound dimensions of the rotator cuff, long head of biceps tendon, deltoid muscle and acromioclavicular joint in Korean healthy adults. Shoulder ultrasonography was performed on 200 shoulders from 100 healthy adults. The dimensions of the thickness of rotator cuff (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis tendon), deltoid muscle, long head of biceps tendon, subacromial subdeltoid bursa, and acromioclavicular joint interval were measured in a standardized manner. Differences in measurements among sex, age, and dominant arms were compared. The thickness of rotator cuff tendons (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis) and deltoid muscle were significantly different between men and women. The thickness of subacromial subdeltoid bursa was significantly different between men and women for non-dominant side. In rotator cuff tendon measurements, the differences between dominant and non-dominant shoulders were not significant, which means the asymptomatic contralateral shoulder can be used to estimate the normal reference values. When stratified by age divided by 10 years, the measurements of supraspinatus, subscapularis and deltoid thickness showed tendency of increase with the age. The acromioclavicular joint interval, on the other hand, revealed decreasing tendency. This report suggests normative values of ultrasound dimensions of healthy Korean population with varying age, and can be useful as reference values in evaluating shoulder pathology, especially in rotator cuff tendon pathology.

Keyword

Reference Values; Rotator Cuff; Shoulder; Ultrasonography

MeSH Terms

Acromioclavicular Joint/anatomy & histology/diagnostic imaging
Adult
Aged
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Deltoid Muscle/anatomy & histology/diagnostic imaging
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Reference Values
Republic of Korea
Rotator Cuff/*anatomy & histology/diagnostic imaging
Shoulder/diagnostic imaging
Tendons/anatomy & histology/diagnostic imaging
Ultrasonography/standards

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Schematic figures of measuring thickness of subscapularis, supraspinatus, and infraspinatus tendons. SSc, subscapularis; SST, supraspinatus; IST, infraspinatus.

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  Fig. 2 Ultrasound dimensions of subscapularis, supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendon. (A) The thickness of subscapularis tendon was measured at just medial to the site of insertion to the lesser tuberosity. (B) The thickness of supraspinatus tendon was measured on the coronal view at the sulcus located between greater tuberosity and articular cartilage. (C) The thickness of infraspinatus tendon was measured at the level of the posterior border of the acromion.

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