Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2009

Mentor: Maureen Finnegan
Department: Orthopedic Surgery
Room number: WA4.318
Mail Code: 8883
Phone number: 53342
E-mail: Maureen.finnegan@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title: Retrospective review of MRI findings versus surgical findings in Rotator Cuff Tears

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): applying for exempt as no patient contact and no identifiers

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): N/A

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects)
Patient based

Brief Description of Project:
HYPOTHESIS : The correlation between MRI findings and findings at surgery is less than previously presumed.

Two years worth of surgical findings will be compared to corresponding MRI findings to assess the predictability of the MRI findings. Patients will be pulled from the UT billing data; Subacromial decompressions and rotator cuff repairs will be the codes used. The subacromial decompressions will be considered the normal (non torn) rotator cuffs, while the repairs will be the abnormal cuffs. All patient data will be de-identified. It is expected that approximately 100 records will be available for review that fit this time frame. The student will review all the surgical reports, all the radiology reports and all the MRI images.
The results will be collated and either a presentation or publication produced.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:
Twenty years at UTSW and numerous medical student mentees.