Supraspinatus muscle shear wave elastography (SWE): detection of biomechanical differences with varying tendon quality prior to gray-scale morphologic changes.

SWE can detect biomechanical differences within the supraspinatus muscle that are not morphologically evident on gray-scale ultrasound. Specifically, supraspinatus tendon partial tears with moderate to severe tendinosis may correspond to biomechanically distinct muscle properties compared to both lower grades of tendon abnormality and full-thickness tears.