Does the supraspinatus tear pattern affect the results of the arthroscopic repair?

Objective  To evaluate the influence of the supraspinal tear pattern on the pre- and postoperative functional evaluations. Methods  A retrospective cohort study comparing patients with supraspinatus crescent-shaped tears versus L- or U-shaped tears. We included patients undergoing complete supraspinatus arthroscopic repair. We did not include patients with subscapularis or infraspinatus repair, those submitted to open surgery, or those in whom only partial repair was achieved. The clinical scales used were the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment (ASES) and the Modified-University of California at Los Angeles Shoulder Rating Scale (UCLA), which were applied 1 week before and 24 months after the procedure. Results  We analyzed 167 shoulders (from 163 patients). In the preoperative period, the ASES scale was significantly higher in the crescent-shaped pattern (43.5 ± 17.6 versus 37.7 ± 13.8; p  = 0.034). The UCLA scale followed the same pattern (15.2 ± 4.6 versus 13.5 ± 3.6; p  = 0.028). In the postoperative period, however, there was no significant difference. According to the ASES scale, crescent-shaped tears scored 83.7 ± 18.7 points, and L- or U-shaped tears scored 82.9 ± 20.1 ( p  = 0.887). The values were 30.9 ± 4.9 and 30.5 ± 5.6 ( p  = 0.773) respectively, by the UCLA scale. Conclusion  Crescent-shaped and L- or U-shaped supraspinatus tears have similar postoperative functional results. In the preoperative period, the functional results are superior in crescent-shaped tears.