Effect of arm rotation on MR imaging of the rotator cuff.

The effect of humeral rotation on the appearance of the rotator cuff tendon in oblique coronal magnetic resonance images was evaluated in 70 such images. Internal rotation produced overlap of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons with soft-tissue interposition or apparent discontinuity of the tendon in 22 cases, including 14 of 15 shoulders positioned in the first 30 degrees between extreme internal and external rotation. Imaging in internal rotation makes assessment of the tendon difficult and should be avoided.