Rent Test | Full-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tear

The Rent test or transdeltoid palpation test is designed to assess for full-thickness rotator cuff tears. A Cochrane review from 2013 reviewed the literature and reports a sensitivity of 96 and specificity of 97%. Another study by Lyon et al. (1992) had conflicting results and was excluded from the systematic review on the basis of clinical grounds so despite the high likelihood ratios we regard the clinical value as moderate.

To conduct the test, the patient is in sitting position. The patient is asked to keep the arm as relaxed as possible.
Standing behind the patient, the examiner palpates anterior to the anterior edge of the acromion with one hand.
The other hand grasps the patient’s elbow and brings the patient’s arm into extension. Careful internal and external rotation is added to palpate the rotator cuff tendons. 

In case of a positive test so a rotator cuff tear, there is a tender depression/rent anterior to the acromion. Just distal to this you would feel an eminence which is the greater tuberosity of the humerus.

21 OF THE MOST USEFUL ORTHOPAEDIC TESTS IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

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Other orthopedic tests that are common to assess full-thickness rotator cuff tears:

• Medial/internal rotation lag sign | Subscapularis
• Lateral/external rotation lag sign | Supraspinatus & Infraspinatus
• Infraspinatus Test | Infraspinatus
• Drop Arm Sign

Hanchard, N. C., Lenza, M., Handoll, H. H., & Takwoingi, Y. (2013). Physical tests for shoulder impingements and local lesions of bursa, tendon or labrum that may accompany impingement. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4).