Shoulder adhesive capsulitis: correlation between clinical data and mri findings

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the imaging features of primary frozen shoulder on MRI and the correlation between these features and clinical symptoms.
Methods: The prospective study 40 patients with clinically diagnosed primary adhesive capsulitis between August 2023 and August 2024 in Department of Radiology – E Hospital.
Results: A total of 40 consecutive patients with frozen shoulder underwent a MRI. There were 21 females and 19 males with a mean age of 60,74 (range: 42-88), also ranged of duration of symptoms “months” 3-18 with means 6,6±3,71 among clinical symptoms. The valuable findings on MRI in diagnosing frozen shoulder include: a hyperintense T2 signal with thickening of the axillary recess, edema of the rotator cuff space, obliteration of subcoracoid fat triangle, thickening of the coraco-humeral ligament (CHL) and the gleno-humeral ligament(GHL). Signs of edema of the rotator cuff space, thickening of the axillary recess and obliteration of subcoracoid fat triangle was seen more frequently during the early stages (I, II) than later stages (III, IV), related to inflammation, which is frequently extensive during the early stages of adhesive capsulitis. Conclusion: MRI is useful for assessing clinical impairment and predicting the clinical stage of adhesive capsulitis.