The influence of age, delay of repair, and tendon involvement in acute rotator cuff tears: structural and clinical outcomes after repair of 42 shoulders.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Few authors have considered the outcome after acute traumatic rotator cuff tears in previously asymptomatic patients. We investigated whether delay of surgery, age at repair, and the number of cuff tendons involved affect the structural and clinical outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 42 patients with pseudoparalysis after trauma and no previous history of shoulder symptoms were included. A full-thickness tear in at least 1 of the rotator cuff tendons was diagnosed in all patients. Mean time to surgery was 38 (6-91) days. Follow-up at a mean of 39 (12-108) months after surgery included ultrasound, plain radiographs, Constant-Murley score, DASH score, and western Ontario rotator cuff (WORC) score. RESULTS: At follow-up, 4 patients had a full-thickness tear and 9 had a partial-thickness tear in the repaired shoulder. No correlation between the structural or clinical outcome and the time to repair within 3 months was found. The patients with a tendon defect at follow-up had a statistically significantly lower Constant-Murley score and WORC index in the injured shoulder and were significantly older than those with intact tendons. The outcomes were similar irrespective of the number of tendons repaired. INTERPRETATION: A delay of 3 months to repair had no effect on outcome. The patients with cuff defects at follow-up were older and they had a worse clinical outcome. Multi-tendon injury did not generate worse outcomes than single-tendon tears at follow-up.

Fewer rotator cuff tears fifteen years after arthroscopic subacromial decompression.

BACKGROUND: A successful clinical result is reported in 75% to 85% of impingement patients after arthroscopic subacromial decompression. The result is maintained over time, but few studies have investigated the integrity of the rotator cuff in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using ultrasonography, we examined the integrity of the rotator cuff in 70 patients 15 years after arthroscopic subacromial decompression. All patients had an intact rotator cuff at the index procedure. RESULTS: Tendons were still intact in 57 patients (82%), 10 (14%) had partial-thickness tears, and 3 (4%) had full-thickness tears. DISCUSSION: The total number of 18% tears (partial and full thickness) in this study, including patients clinically diagnosed with subacromial impingement at a mean age of 60 years, is unexpectedly low compared with 40% degenerative tears reported in asymptomatic adults of the same age. CONCLUSION: Arthroscopic subacromial decompression seems to reduce the prevalence of rotator cuff tears in impingement patients. This appears attributable to elimination of extrinsic factors such as mechanical wear and bursitis. The potential effect of surgery on intrinsic cuff degeneration is unknown, but intrinsic factors may explain tears still developing despite decompression. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, therapeutic study.