Lambert 2009.

Clinical features and settings	Inclusion criteria: Not reported Exclusion criteria: Not reported Duration of symptoms: Not reported Previous treatments: Not reported Care setting: Tertiary or secondary
Participants	Place of study: Dijon, France Period of study: November 2005 to June 2007 Number of participants eligible: 192 participants Number of participants enrolled IT and RS: ‐ MRI and arthroscopy or open surgery: 48 participants Data available for analyses: ‐ MRI and arthroscopy or open surgery: 48 participants Age (mean): 56 years Gender: Not reported Dominant arm: Not reported Nature of onset: Not reported
Study design	Primary objective: To demonstrate the value of 3.0 T MRI for the detection of rotator cuff tendon tears Study design: Prospective, accuracy cohort study Unclear whether consecutive recruitment Language: English
Target condition and reference standard(s)	Target conditions: Presence of any rotator cuff tears, full thickness tears and partial thickness tears Reference standard(s): Shoulder arthroscopy or open surgery ‐ Description of technique: Not reported ‐ Criteria for a positive result: Not reported
Index and comparator tests	Index test(s): MRI ‐ Description of technique: MRI unit: 3.0 T scanner with a shoulder coil Sequences and Planes: Fat suppressed TSE T2‐weighted in three planes (TR/TE 3000/39) A sagittal T1‐weighted sequence to detect fatty muscle atrophy Patient position: Not reported ‐ Criteria for a positive result: Full thickness tears: presence of hyperintense fluid signal with a communication between the glenohumeral joint and subacromial space Partial thickness tears: hyperintense fluid signal or irregularity at the articular or bursal surface of the tendon ‐ Time from symptoms to index test: Not reported ‐ Time from index test to reference standard: mean 77.6 days (range 22 to 169 days)
Follow‐up	Adverse events due to index test(s): Not reported Adverse events due to reference standard test(s): Not reported
Notes	A two‐by‐two table of the ITs and RS was given, which tallied with the reported summary data
Table of Methodological Quality
Item	Authors' judgement	Description
Representative spectrum? All tests	No	Unknown why patients had MRI shoulder as included all people who had one at their institution of a period of time November 2005 to June 2007
Acceptable reference standard? All tests	Unclear	The reference standard was shoulder arthroscopy or open surgery and the target condition were presence of any rotator cuff tears, full thickness tears and partial thickness tears
Acceptable delay between tests? All tests	No	The average interval between reference standard and index test was 77.6 days
Partial verification avoided? All tests	No	Not all the patients who received the index test underwent a reference standard to verify their true disease status. Of the 192 eligible participants, only 48 underwent to reference standard
Differential verification avoided? All tests	Unclear	Insufficient information was given to permit judgement
Incorporation avoided? All tests	Yes	The index test did not form part of the reference standard
Index test results blinded? All tests	Unclear	Insufficient information was given to permit judgement
Reference standard results blinded? All tests	No	The results of the index tests were known to the person interpreting the reference tests
Relevant clinical information? All tests	Unclear	Not reported
Uninterpretable results reported? All tests	Unclear	Insufficient information was given to permit judgement
Withdrawals explained? All tests	No	Some of the eligible patients who entered the study did not complete it and these patients were not accounted for
Learning curve / training reported of index test? All tests	Unclear	Insufficient information was given to permit judgement
Learning curve / training reported of reference standard? All tests	Unclear	Insufficient information was given to permit judgement
Index test criteria for a positive test result reported? All tests	Yes	The study reported the definition of a positive index test result