To evaluate repaired rotator cuff morphologically and quantitatively in one GRAPPATINI MRI examination.

Abstract

Background: GRAPPATINI is capable of originating synthetic T2 images (T2_synth) and T2 maps in one magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

Purpose: To evaluate GRAPPATINI's performance in providing simultaneous morphological assessment of repaired rotator cuffs (RC) using T2_synth images and quantitative evaluation of the postoperative clinical outcomes on T2 maps.

Material and methods: A total of 45 individuals after repair surgery for at least 2 years were prospectively examined with GRAPPATINI MRI. Clinical scores were also collected. Image quality was measured using contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the repaired tendons on the T2_synth and compared to conventional T2-weighted (T2W) images. Two blinded readers independently graded the repaired RCs based on the Sugaya classification on both T2_synth and T2W images to calculate intra- and inter-rater agreements. In addition, T2 values of repaired RCs from the T2 maps generated by GRAPPATINI were correlated with clinical scores.

Results: GRAPPATINI successfully provided both synthetic T2W and quantitative T2 map in a clinically feasible acquisition time of 2:18 min for the shoulder. There were no significant differences in mean CNR (P = 0.9) between conventional T2W and T2_synth images_. The inter-rater agreement for the Sugaya classification did not differ significantly between T2W and T2_synth images (P = 0.8). Furthermore, T2 values of the attached RC showed significant correlations with functional outcomes (r = 0.39-0.52; P < 0.05).

Conclusion: This study concludes that GRAPPATINI offers a comprehensive assessment of the shoulder by providing both morphological and quantitative evaluations in a single scan. It is an efficient tool for assessing repair status and predicting functional outcomes in patients after arthroscopic RC repair.