The diagnostic accuracy of five tests for diagnosing partial-thickness tears of the supraspinatus tendon: A cohort study

Abstract

Study design: A cohort study.

Introduction: The causes of the pain can be difficult for clinicians to diagnose due to the complexity of the shoulder anatomy and the wide spectrum of shoulder conditions.

Purpose of the study: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of provocative diagnostic tests, in patients with partial-thickness tears of the supraspinatus (SST) tendon.

Methods: The partial-thickness tears SST tendon group consisted of 50 patients and 50 subjects with shoulder pain. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and likelihood ratios of five physical examination tests were calculated using a 2 × 2 table.

Results: All the tests exhibited clinical useful positive LR greater than 2 (all, >7.0). The Yocum, Jobe, and Hawkinse-Kennedy exhibited clinically useful negative LR of less than 0.5.

Conclusions: The provocative tests examined were clinically useful in determining the presence or absence of pathology of the supraspinatus tendon.

Level of evidence: 2b.

Keywords: Physical examination; Shoulder; Tendon; Validity of results.