Elsevier

The Lancet

Volume 357, Issue 9258, 10 March 2001, Pages 769-770
The Lancet

Research Letters
Diagnosis of rotator cuff tears

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(00)04161-1Get rights and content

Summary

Rotator cuff tears account for almost 50% of major shoulder injuries but are sometimes difficult to diagnose. To aid diagnosis, we did a prospective study, comparing results of 23 clinical tests from 400 patients with and without rotator cuff tears. Three simple tests were predictive for rotator cuff tear: supraspinatus weakness, weakness in external rotation, and impingement. When all three were positive, or if two tests were positive and the patient was aged 60 or older, the individual had a 98% chance of having a rotator cuff tear; combined absence of these features excluded this diagnosis.

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There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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