fisherdawnmarie
Networker
I am unsure which diagnosis to select when there is no indication that the tear is a current injury, degenerative, or nontraumatic.
An example is: The patient presents with shoulder pain & decreased range of motion. The findings of the shoulder MRI are a very high grade partial tear of the supraspinatus tendon. Infraspinatus tendinosis.
Same thing with the Knee MRI. Patient presents with knee pain for several months. Findings are a high-grade partial tear of the posterior cruciate ligament and a complex tear of the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus.
In the past I have always used pain as the diagnosis because I could not determine if the tear was current or old but I am not sure if this is actually correct.
An example is: The patient presents with shoulder pain & decreased range of motion. The findings of the shoulder MRI are a very high grade partial tear of the supraspinatus tendon. Infraspinatus tendinosis.
Same thing with the Knee MRI. Patient presents with knee pain for several months. Findings are a high-grade partial tear of the posterior cruciate ligament and a complex tear of the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus.
In the past I have always used pain as the diagnosis because I could not determine if the tear was current or old but I am not sure if this is actually correct.