[Typical alterations of frozen shoulder in MRI examinations]

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is routinely used for the diagnostic assessment of diseases of the shoulder joint. Depending on the clinical presentation native imaging, intravenous (IV) or intra-articular injection of contrast medium can be performed (MR arthrography). Advances in imaging technology nowadays enable early detection of characteristic changes in the clinical picture of frozen shoulder. These changes typically include thickening of the coracohumeral ligament, the axillary pouch and the capsule at the rotator interval. Furthermore, obliteration of the subcoracoidal fat pad can also be observed. The MRI examinations also show a hyperintensity in the T2-weighted imaging and a contrast enhancement of the joint capsule. The alterations can show a temporal correlation with the clinical symptoms of the patient.