Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Apr;52(4):695-703.
doi: 10.1007/s00256-022-04201-7. Epub 2022 Oct 5.

Predictors of infraspinatus muscle degeneration in individuals with an isolated supraspinatus tendon tear

Rebekah L Lawrence  1   2 , Balaji Veluswamy  3 , Elizabeth A Dobben  3 , Chad L Klochko  3 , Steven B Soliman  4
Affiliations

Predictors of infraspinatus muscle degeneration in individuals with an isolated supraspinatus tendon tear

Rebekah L Lawrence et al. Skeletal Radiol. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: Determine the demographic and clinical factors that predict infraspinatus muscle degeneration in individuals with an isolated supraspinatus tendon tear.

Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using the medical records of patients who had a shoulder MRI interpreted by 1 of 3 fellowship-trained musculoskeletal radiologists since the implementation of a standardized MRI 3 T protocol within our healthcare system. Demographic (e.g., age, sex) and clinical data (e.g., tear size, muscle degeneration, co-morbidities) were collected. Patients with an isolated supraspinatus tendon tear (n = 121) were assigned to one of two groups based on whether any infraspinatus muscle degeneration was present. Logistic regression was used to assess the univariate relationships between infraspinatus muscle degeneration and patient and clinical data, while least absolute shrinkage and selector operator (LASSO) logistic regression was used to assess the multivariable relationship.

Results: Of the patients with an isolated supraspinatus tendon tear, 16.5% had evidence of infraspinatus muscle degeneration. The presence of infraspinatus muscle degeneration was independently associated with cardiovascular disease (P = 0.01), supraspinatus muscle degeneration (P < 0.01), and subscapularis muscle degeneration (P = 0.01). When the multivariable relationship is assessed, supraspinatus muscle degeneration emerged as the only variable of significant importance for detecting infraspinatus muscle degeneration (specificity: 87.1%, sensitivity: 80.0%).

Conclusion: Infraspinatus muscle degeneration is not uncommon in individuals with an isolated supraspinatus tear and is most associated with concomitant supraspinatus muscle degeneration. These findings highlight the need for clinicians to specifically assess the status of each rotator cuff muscle, even when the tendon itself is intact.

Keywords: Infraspinatus muscle degeneration; MRI shoulder; Rotator cuff repair; Rotator cuff retear; Supraspinatus tendon tear.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
CONSORT flow diagram showing the flow of patient records through the initial medical records query and review, classification, and statistical analysis.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A 62-year-old woman with an isolated full-thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon and isolated infraspinatus muscle degeneration. A) Fat-suppressed coronal oblique T2-weighted image demonstrates a full-thickness retracted tear of the supraspinatus tendon (arrow). B) Sagittal oblique proton density image demonstrates isolated infraspinatus muscle degeneration (arrow).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A 62-year-old woman with an isolated full-thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon and isolated infraspinatus muscle degeneration. A) Fat-suppressed coronal oblique T2-weighted image demonstrates a full-thickness retracted tear of the supraspinatus tendon (arrow). B) Sagittal oblique proton density image demonstrates isolated infraspinatus muscle degeneration (arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Berth A, Neumann W, Awiszus F, Pap G. Massive rotator cuff tears: functional outcome after debridement or arthroscopic partial repair. J Orthop Traumatol. 2010; 11(1):13–20. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chung SW, Kim JY, Kim MH, Kim SH, Oh JH. Arthroscopic repair of massive rotator cuff tears: outcome and analysis of factors associated with healing failure or poor postoperative function. Am J Sports Med. 2013; 41(7):1674–1683. - PubMed
    1. Kluger R, Bock P, Mittlbock M, Krampla W, Engel A. Long-term survivorship of rotator cuff repairs using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging analysis. Am J Sports Med. 2011; 39(10):2071–2081. - PubMed
    1. Tashjian RZ, Hollins AM, Kim HM, Teefey SA, Middleton WD, Steger-May K, et al. Factors affecting healing rates after arthroscopic double-row rotator cuff repair. Am J Sports Med. 2010; 38(12):2435–2442. - PubMed
    1. Toussaint B, Schnaser E, Bosley J, Lefebvre Y, Gobezie R. Early structural and functional outcomes for arthroscopic double-row transosseous-equivalent rotator cuff repair. Am J Sports Med. 2011; 39(6):1217–1225. - PubMed