Skeletal radiology
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Case Reports
Increased T2 signal intensity in the distal clavicle: incidence and clinical implications.
The objectives of the current study were (1) to quantify the incidence of increased T2 signal in the distal clavicle and (2) to assess the clinical significance of this finding in patients with chronic acromioclavicular (AC) joint pain. ⋯ Increased T2 signal in the distal clavicle is a relatively common finding (12.5%) on MR imaging examinations of the shoulder and in most cases is of no clinical significance. However, in patients with chronic AC joint pain and no other abnormality on plain film or MR imaging, increased T2 signal may represent an early manifestation of, or a process similar to, osteolysis of the distal clavicle. Patients with this presentation who continue to suffer from disabling pain following conservative therapy may benefit from surgical resection of the distal clavicle.