At our MRI workshops we have an Open Mic policy. People are encouraged to interrupt and ask questions at anytime because its best to clear doubts at the time topics are being discussed rather than wait till the end or never get to asking it at all. One of the more consistent questions is about synovitis in the shoulder where certain sites are specifically involved and dont have the typical appearance of synovitis we discussed in the last post The Many Faces of Synovitis. In the shoulder there are two specific areas affected which are really a mixture of synovitis and capsulitis, the Inferior Gleno Humeral Ligament ( IGHL) and the Rotator Interval. Lets look at the IGHL in this post.

The IGHL, is normally black on PD and PDFS scans and is relatively thin.

                Image above: Yellow arrows normal IGHL low signal on PD. Normal thickness.

With capsulitis/ synovitis, the IGHL thickens and becomes hyperintense on the PD and PDFS scans.

                Image above: Diffuse thickening and increased PD signal of the IGHL ( yellow arrows).

            Image Above: Thickened IGHL with significant increase in signal on the PDFS image ( first image).