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Diagnostic injection around the shoulder: hit and miss? A cadaveric study of injection accuracy.

Partington PF, Broome GH. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 1998 Mar-Apr;7(2):147-50.

In a cadaver study the success of injections in the subacromial space and acromioclavicular joint was studied. Twenty-four shoulders were dissected after separate dye injection was performed with the patient in the supine position. Subacromial bursa injection was successful in 83% (20 shoulders), but in 15 shoulders other structures were also infiltrated, including seven injections in the rotator cuff. Acromioclavicular joint injection was successful in 67% (16 shoulders), but half involved other structures. The authors believe that misplaced injections may be diagnostically misleading and potentially harmful.