Background: When the arm was lifted, the rotator cuff, subacromial bursa, and biceps tendon pressed on the underside of the acromion and coracoacromial ligament, causing shoulder impingement. There are two sorts of impingements: intrinsic and extrinsic. As a result of the degenerative process brought on by excessive strain, intrinsic impingement produces a partial or full rupture of the rotator cuff tendons. Extrinsic impingement occurs when outside causes apply mechanical pressure on the tendons, causing irritation or degeneration.
Objective: Using MR imaging as a gold standard, assess and compare the effectiveness of high-resolution ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging in identifying subacromial impingement disorders.
Patients and methods: The study has been carried out on 50 patients, based on age range 20-60 years, having pain at the shoulder for three months and more with a clinically confirmed diagnosis of subacromial impingement, excluding cases having a history of shoulder dislocation, fractures, surgical intervention, or neoplastic lesions. All patients had ultrasonography and conventional MR exams.
Results: Intrinsic impingement reasons were more common in patients under the age of 40. Those above the age of 40, on the other hand, showed a greater incidence of extrinsic factors, particularly hypertrophic osteoarthritic changes of the acromioclavicular joint, with full-thickness rotator cuff tendon tears.
Conclusion: Ultrasonography was proven to be a fairly sensitive diagnostic technique for subacromial impingement in this study.