Functional outcomes after bilateral arthroscopic rotator cuff repair

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Musculoskeletal Radiology

Background:

• Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair is common, with up to 35% of unilateral tears having bilateral disease.
• Existing literature primarily focuses on unilateral rotator cuff repair outcomes.
• The contralateral shoulder's outcomes after staged bilateral repair are less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare clinical outcomes between dominant and non-dominant shoulders after staged bilateral arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.
• To evaluate the healing rates and clinical differences in shoulders undergoing staged bilateral rotator cuff surgery.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of patients with staged bilateral arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery.
• Minimum 2-year follow-up with assessment of American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation, and Rowe scores.
• Clinical and ultrasound evaluation by an independent musculoskeletal radiologist for a subset of patients.

Main Results:

• 55 patients (110 shoulders) participated; no significant clinical or statistical differences found in outcome measures.
• Average ASES scores were comparable: 86.5 (dominant) vs. 89.6 (non-dominant), P=.42.
• Ultrasound showed an 88% complete healing rate; retears (12%) correlated with lower ASES scores (72.5) vs. healed repairs (86.2).

Conclusions:

• Staged bilateral rotator cuff repair yields similar good clinical outcomes for both shoulders.
• Hand dominance and timing of surgery do not significantly impact outcomes.
• Excellent healing rates are observed in both shoulders following staged arthroscopic repair.