Arthroscopic findings in the frozen shoulder.

We report 24 patients with a clinical diagnosis of frozen shoulder who underwent an arthroscopic examination and were reviewed. A painful and stiff shoulder was present for an average of 8 months prior to the arthroscopy. The examinations were performed under general anesthesia and through a posterior route. The capacity of the genohumeral joint was measured by infiltration of physiologic saline and it was subnormal in almost 60% of the cases. Only 1 rupture of the rotator cuff was noted which had been previously demonstrated by arthrography. A torn long head of biceps was identified in 2 cases. No intraarticular adhesions were noted. These observations implicate an extra-articular cause for this clinical entity.