Sonographic Features of Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration: A Case Series

This case series describes five patients with persistent shoulder pain and dysfunction consistent with Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration. All the patients here had a distinct sonographic pattern of multiple punctate hyperechoic foci within the rotator cuff (RC) tendons. These abnormal foci were confirmed to be a pain generator using an ultrasound-guided diagnostic anesthetic injections, and each patient underwent a successful tenotomy, vacuum aspiration, and debridement of these lesions. Ultrasound findings of vaccine-induced reactive changes within the RC have not been previously reported, and the sonographic findings presented in this case series are distinct from the findings traditionally seen in degenerative tendinopathy or acute RC tears. Identification of this pattern and confirmatory anesthetic injection may aid in the diagnosis of Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration and guide minimally invasive treatments in chronic cases unresponsive to conservative management.