Detection and Quantitative Assessment of Arthroscopically Proven Long Biceps Tendon Pathologies Using T2 Mapping

This study investigates the use of T2 mapping, a type of MRI, to identify and measure damage in the long biceps tendon (LBT). The goal is to see if this method can distinguish between healthy and damaged tendons, potentially leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment of shoulder pain. Patients with shoulder pain underwent MRI with T2 mapping, followed by arthroscopy, a surgical procedure to examine the joint. The T2 values, representing tissue characteristics, were measured in the LBT and compared between those with healthy tendons and those with confirmed tendon damage. The results showed that T2 mapping can differentiate between healthy and damaged LBTs. The T2 values were significantly higher in damaged tendons compared to healthy tendons, suggesting that T2 mapping could be a useful tool for early detection and monitoring of LBT problems.

• 1
  The average T2 value for healthy subjects was measured at 23.3 ± 4.6 ms, while patients with tendinopathy displayed a markedly higher value, at 47.9 ± 7.8 ms.
• 2
  The maximum T2 value identified in healthy tendons (29.6 ms) proved to be lower than the minimal value measured in pathological tendons (33.8 ms), resulting in a sensitivity and specificity of 100% (95% confidence interval 63.1–100) across all cut-off values ranging from 29.6 to 33.8 ms.
• 3
  The ICCs were found to range from 0.93 to 0.99, indicating a high level of agreement between different radiologists in interpreting the T2 mapping results.