Rotator Cuff Disease

In 1834, Smith wrote the first description of a rupture of the rotator cuff tendon. Since then, with the work of such authors as Duplay, Von Meyer, Codman, and Neer, degenerative changes to the rotator cuff have been better characterized; however, the exact mechanisms leading to the degeneration of the rotator cuff still are debated today.^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]} Moreover, despite numerous trials, questions still exist about the efficacy of different therapeutic modalities for rotator cuff disease. With the help of better methodology for studies, more successful treatment of degenerative rotator cuff disease can be expected. See the images below.
Normal plain radiograph of the shoulder in internal, external, and neutral positions. This image depicts the channel between the articular capsule and the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa in a complete rotator cuff tear. Even if the channel cannot be always identified, the presence of contrast medium in the subdeltoid-subacromial bursa signs the presence of a complete rotator cuff tea