MRI is very effective in the diagnosis of many musculoskeletal disorders noninvasively. Thirty-five patients with clinically suspected rotator cuff tear were evaluated with a PICKER 1.0 T MR and nineteen patients of them were evaluated with double contrast arthrography as well. The MR images were obtained with oblique coronal multiecho images, TR 2000 and TE 30/80, and oblique axial T 1 WI, TE 800 TE 20. MR correlated well with arthrography in patients with rotator cuff tears and tendinitis. In the diagnosis of rotator cuff tears, MRI has the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 93%, 100% and 95% respectively. This result suggests that MR is an ideal procedure for diagnosing rotator cuff tear. The pulse sequences we selected in this study are not only good for demonstrating the detail anatomical structures for diagnosis but also time saving for both patient and examination.