To evaluate effects of subacromial bursa injection with steroid according to dosage and to investigate whether hyaluronidase can reduce steroid dosage.
Thirty patients with periarticular shoulder disorder were assigned to receive subacromial bursa injection once a week for two consecutive weeks. Ten patients (group A) underwent subacromial bursa injection with triamcinolone 20 mg; another group of ten patients (group B) with hyaluronidase 1,500 IU and triamcinolone 20 mg; and the other ten patients (group C) with triamcinolone 40 mg. We examined the active range of motion (AROM) of the shoulder joint, visual analogue scale (VAS), and shoulder disability questionnaire (SDQ) at study entry and every week until 1 week after the 2nd injection.
All groups showed statistically significant improvements in VAS after 1st and 2nd injections. When comparing the degree of improvement in VAS, there were statistically significant differences between groups C and A or B, but not between groups A and B. SDQ was statistically significantly improved only in groups B and C, as compared to pre-injection. There were statistically significant differences in improvement of SDQ after the 2nd injection between groups C and A or B. Statistically significant improvements in AROM were shown in abduction (groups B and C) and in flexion (group C only).
Repeated high-dose (40 mg) steroid injection was more effective in terms of pain relief and functional improvements of shoulder joint than medium-dose (20 mg) steroid injection in periarticular disorder. Hyaluronidase seems to have little additive effect on subacromial bursa injection for reducing the dosage of steroid.
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To investigate the relationship between the shoulder gradient and acromiohumeral interval of both shoulders in patients with unilateral shoulder impingement syndrome.
Using the angulometer, we measured the shoulder gradient in patients with unilateral shoulder impingement syndrome in a standing position. Using the radiography, we measured the acromiohumeral interval and the angle between a vertical line and a line connecting a superior angle with an inferior angle of the scapula.
In patients with unilateral shoulder impingement syndrome, the frequency of shoulder impingement syndrome was 76.2% (16 of 21) on the side of the relatively lower shoulder. The mean acromiohumeral interval on the side of the lower shoulder was 10.03±1.28 mm, compared with 10.46±1.50 mm for the higher shoulder. The angle between a vertical line and a line connecting a superior angle with an inferior angle of the scapular of the side of the lower shoulder was -0.31±3.73 degrees, compared with 3.85±4.42 degrees for the higher shoulder.
The frequency of shoulder impingement syndrome was significantly higher on the side of the relatively lower shoulder, and there is no significant difference in the acromiohumeral interval between the side of the lower shoulder and that of the higher shoulder. In patients with unilateral shoulder impingement syndrome, the scapular on the side of lower shoulder was more rotated downward than on the side of the higher shoulder.
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