High-grade bursal-side partial rotator cuff tears: comparison of mid- and long-term results following arthroscopic repair after conversion to a full-thickness tear

Abstract

BackgroundPartial-thickness rotator cuff tears (PTRCTs) are one of the leading causes of shoulder dysfunction. Successful results have been reported with different treatment techniques, but the long-term consequences of these procedures are not yet clearly known. The purposes of this study were to evaluate and compare the mid- and long-term clinical outcomes of arthroscopically repaired bursal-side PTRCTs after conversion to full-thickness tears and identify the possible effects of age, gender, and hand dominance on clinical outcomes.MethodsTwenty-nine patients who had undergone arthroscopic repair of a significant bursal-side PTRCT were functionally evaluated. The repair was made after conversion to a full-thickness tear. The average patient age was 55.2 years (range 35–69 years, SD ±7.6 years). Clinical outcomes were evaluated at 2 and 5 years after surgery. Constant Shoulder Score (CSS) and Visual Analogue Scale for Pain (VAS pain) were used as outcome measures.ResultsThe average CSS improved from 38.9 preoperatively to 89.2 and 87.8 at 2 and 5 years after surgery, respectively (p < 0.001). The average VAS pain score decreased from 7.90 preoperatively to 1.17 and 1.31 at 2 and 5 years after surgery, respectively (p < 0.001). A significant improvement was detected in patient functional outcomes and VAS pain scores at 2 and 5 years after surgery compared with the preoperative period. The patients who underwent surgery from their non-dominant extremity showed a significantly higher CSS increase relative to those who underwent surgery on the dominant extremity (p = 0.022).ConclusionsArthroscopic repair of high-grade bursal-side PTRCTs after conversion to full-thickness tears is a reliable surgical technique with good functional outcomes and pain relief both at mid- and long-term follow-ups. Surgery on the non-dominant side may be related to better functional outcomes.

Comparing Sex-Specific Outcomes After Rotator Cuff Repair: A Meta-analysis

“…Included in the meta-analysis of postoperative Constant-Murley scores were 7 studies 1 , 6 , 9 , 10 , 13 , 20 , 21 with a total of 482 male and 354 female patients. The mean postoperative Constant-Murley score was 76.77 ± 15.94 for male patients and 69.88 ± 17.02 for female patients.…”

Time Required to Achieve Clinically Significant Outcomes After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair

“…Consistent with our finding for ASES, a quicker return to work and greater improvement in patient-reported disability with surgery on the dominant side has previously been reported. 1,32 Regarding the delayed achievement trend we found in Constant score, Aydin and Karaismailoglu 3 showed that surgery on the dominant side led to less improvement in Constant scores compared with nondominant-side surgery. Despite the seeming disparity of these findings, they could be reporting a similar trend, albeit measured by different metrics.…”

Efficacy of threading lasso fixation in repairing partial articular supraspinatus tendon avulsion lesions: a retrospective study

“…The full-thickness suture method exposes the bone bed by debridement of the damaged tendon stump, and suturing is performed in a standard manner. This method is convenient and easily mastered by most surgeons [ 20 ]. In addition, animal experiments have shown that full-thickness suturing has better outcomes than in situ repair, which may be related to the more thorough debridement that is done in full-thickness suturing [ 21 ].…”