Structural integrity of rotator cuff at 16 years following repair: good long-term outcomes despite recurrent tears

There are few studies reporting long-term rotator cuff integrity following repair. The present study reports a case series of surgically repaired supraspinatus tendons followed up with clinical outcomes and ultrasound imaging after an average of 16 years.

The prospectively studied clinical outcomes at short-, medium- and long-term follow-up in 27 shoulders in 25 patients treated with arthroscopic subacromial decompression and mini-open rotator cuff repair have been reported previously. The functional outcomes scores recorded were the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) and Simple Shoulder Test (SST) measures. These patients then underwent an ultrasound scan with respect to the long-term assessment of the shoulder and the integrity of the repair.

A recurrent tear was noted in 37% of patients at 16.25 years after surgery, of which 50% were small. Two patients required repeat surgery. Patients had a mean UCLA score of 30, an ASES score of 91.3 and a SST score of 9.5 with a 85% level of satisfaction with surgery. Patients with a recurrent tear had outcome scores equivalent to those with an intact cuff with no significant pain. No independent risk factors were identified as predictors for recurrent tear.

Patients showed sustained benefit and satisfaction at long-term follow-up despite a 37% recurrence of full-thickness supraspinatus tear.