Correlation between magnetic resonance imaging and arthroscopic findings in superior labral from anterior to posterior injuries of shoulder joint

Background: The aim of our study was to identify the accuracy of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting superior labral from anterior to posterior (SLAP) lesions when compared to arthroscopic findings, considering arthroscopy as the gold standard. Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted between January 2015 to July 2021 that focuses on SLAP lesions to evaluate the accuracy of its magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reporting. All patients who had shoulder arthroscopy were included, and their intra-operative pathology was recorded and compared to their pre-operative MRI reports. Accuracy was assessed by calculating the sensitivity and specificity of MRI in comparison to the standard shoulder arthroscopy. Results: 60 patients were included in the study. In diagnosing SLAP lesions this study showed that MRI was 54% sensitivity, 67% specificity with 79% positive predictive value and 39% negative predictive value. Accuracy was found to be 55%. Conclusions: In this study, the MRI did not detect SLAP lesions at a rate as high as arthroscopy, which is considered the gold standard. When performing arthroscopy, it is important to be diligent in detecting actual SLAP lesions that may not have been identified by traditional MRI scans.