Direct shoulder MR arthrography using low field scanner for assessment of labral tears to assess scan reliability in claustrophobic patients

Purpose: Shoulder instability is a common condition that primarily affects young active people. MR arthrography (MRA) has enhanced the capability of conventional MRI in assessing intra articular structures. Claustrophobic patients cannot tolerate scanning by closed magnet machines, so the aim of our study was to assess the labral tears by direct MR arthrography of the shoulder in claustrophobic patients using low field 0.32T machine and to evaluate the reliability of this scanning protocol compared to operative findings. Materials and methods: 40 claustrophobic patients with clinically diagnosed labral tear are included in our study. All are scanned by low field 0.32 Tesla machine. Images are interpreted for changes in the shoulder alignment, labral signal intensity and integrity, glenohumeral ligaments integrity, intraarticular loose bodies and bone marrow signal changes. Results: By MRA, all patients had labral tear, 24 had anterior labral tear, 12 had inferior labral tear and 4 had superior labral tear. MRA of the shoulder using open scanner showed sensitivity of 95.45% and specificity 99.1% for diagnosing tears of the glenoid labrum when correlated with the arthroscopic findings. Conclusion: MRA of the shoulder using low field scanner proved high sensitivity and specificity in detecting labral tears in claustrophobic patients