Shoulder MRI: routine examinations using gradient recalled and fat-saturated sequences

Although the signs of complete rotator cuff tears on MRI are well established, tendinitis and partial rotator cuff tears cannot always be readily depicted. In order to optimize the soft-tissue contrast of shoulder imaging without increasing imaging time for routine applications, we compared spin-echo and gradient-echo sequences with and without fat saturation and studied the soft-tissue contrast of spoiled gradient-echo sequences with several different parameters. We conclude, that fat-saturation is not necessary in order to improve the soft-tissue contrast. Successful fat suppression was only achieved in 50% of cases. We found a gradient-echo sequence with a double echo acquisition (echo times TE: 11 and 34 ms) with a long repetition time (TR: 600 ms) and a moderate flip angle (20°) very helpful in diagnosing rotator cuff pathology. Offprint requests to: Harry K. Genant