In the United States, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgery is one of the most popular shoulder operations. While multiple trials have indicated significant clinical alleviation in the short term after surgery, a high proportion of recurrence problems has prompted doctors to doubt the operation’s long-term durability. Patients who underwent all-arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery have maintained and improved outcomes for a minimum of 15 years compared to the preoperative state. Between 2003 and 2005, 193 patients had all-arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs. Preoperatively, as well as 1, 2, 5, and 15 years after that, patient-reported outcomes were obtained by researchers. The primary outcome was the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) scores. The Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), Shoulder Activity Scale (SAS), Visual Analog Scale, and PROMIS Upper Extremity scores were used as secondary outcomes. The demographics of the patients, revision operations, and complications were all documented. Generalized estimating equations were used to model scores across time, and Tukey adjustment was applied to make multiple comparisons between time points.
A total of 60 patients were enrolled in the study, with an average follow-up of 16.5 years (range 15.8-17.7). The mean ASES score increased from 60.2 ±18.8 before surgery to 93.0 ±9.4 after 15 years (P<.0001). At 15+ years, the mean pain visual analog score (VAS) decreased from 4.1± 0.7 preoperatively to 0.7± 0.3 (P<.0001). SANE, SAS, and PROMIS UE had average scores of 87.8± 1.9, 8.8±0.6, and 49.6±1.3, respectively, at 15 years. Revision surgery was performed on 7 of the 60 patients. At 15 years, older age and female sex were linked to lower SAS scores, while female sex was linked to lower PROMIS UE scores. ASES and SANE ratings were not affected by any factors. Patient-reported results of all-arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs indicate considerable improvement from baseline preoperative function at long-term (15+ year) follow-up and are durable over 15 years. They used this information to counsel patients on the procedure’s long-term outcomes.
Reference:www.jshoulderelbow.org/article/S1058-2746(22)00198-7/fulltext
