This article considered the relationship of acromial morphology (Bigliani Classification), acromial spurring, and acromial index to the presence of a full-thickness rotator cuff tear. Assessement of acromial morphology had poor inter observer reliability. The acromial index was not associated with the presence of a cuff tear (the same finding as previously reported). The association between acromial spurring and the presence of a full thickness cuff tear was significant, but as shown below 22% of shoulders with a spur did not have a full thickness cuff tear, and 51% of the shoulders of the shoulders without a spur had a full thickness tear - thus spur presence or absence is not a reliable indicator of the status of the cuff.
Importantly, the authors point out that these results cannot be used to infer a causal relationship between acromial spurring and rotator cuff disease. As pointed out in the recent article "Published evidence relevant to the diagnosis of impingement syndrome of the shoulder.", changes in the acromion may result from, rather than cause cuff pathology.
As has been suggested in a previous post and by the results of this study, it may be time to stop attributing cuff pathology to acromial factors.
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If you have suggestions for topics you'd like us to address in this blog, please send an email to
shoulderarthritis@uw.edu
Use the "Search the Blog" box to the right to find other topics of interest to you.
You may be interested in some of our most visited web pages including:shoulder arthritis, total shoulder, ream and run, reverse total shoulder, CTA arthroplasty, and rotator cuff surgery.
See the countries from which our readers come on this post.
