Improved Decision Support for Rotator Cuff Surgery by Quantitative MRI

Purpose and goal

The purpose of the project was to investigate whether volumetric and quantitative MRI-based measurement of muscle volume and intramuscular fat in the shoulder muscles by means of AMRA´s technology can provide an improved decision base for the treatment of damage in the rotator cuff and answer the question of whether the technology has the potential to be developed into a clinical product. The project has shown that the technology has such potential.

Expected results and effects

A protocol for data collection with MRI has been developed and used in a clinical study where patients were examined before surgery and followed up after one year. The result shows that the method can predict the improvement of the shoulder function one year after surgery based on measurements immediately before surgery. It shows that the technology has the potential to be developed into a product for decision support regarding shoulder surgery.

Planned approach and implementation

The project consisted of three work packages: WP1: Development of a protocol for quantitative MRI image acquisition of the rotator cuff. WP2: A clinical study where patients are examined with this protocol before surgery and then followed up one year after the surgery. WP3: Examination of normal values for fat infiltration and muscle volume of supraspinatus on data from a large population study.