An elderly patient complains of shoulder pain and has difficulty abducting his arm. Ahroscopy is done in which a dye is injected into the shoulder joint and an X-ray taken. The radiologist notes that the dye has leaked from the shoulder joint into the subacromial bursa. What tendon would need to be ruptured for this to occur?
The shoulder joint is separated from the subacromial bursa by the supraspinatus tendon, which is inseing on the greater tubercle of the humerus. So, if the supraspinatus tendon is ruptured, dye injected into the shoulder joint will not just stay in the shoulder joint instead, it will diffuse and leak into the area around the joint, including the subacromial bursa. Deltoid is a much more superficial muscle,it is not related to the shoulder joint capsule. Infraspinatus and teres minor also inse on the greater tubercle of the humerus, but they inse a bit inferior to supraspinatus, so they are not related to the subacromial bursa. Latissimus dorsi is not pa of the rotator cuff-it inses on the floor of the inteubercular groove of the humerus.
Deltoid
Infraspinatus
Latissimus dorsi
Supraspinatus