Correlation between Severity of Synovitis and Clinical Features in Rotator Cuff Tears

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Shoulder Joint Pathology

Background:

• Rotator cuff tear symptoms are not solely determined by tear size.
• Synovitis is implicated in symptom severity but lacks a standardized grading system.
• Limited research exists on synovitis and clinical features in rotator cuff tears.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a scoring system for synovitis in rotator cuff tears.
• To investigate the correlation between synovitis severity and clinical outcomes post-arthroscopic repair.

Main Methods:

• Recruited patients with medium-sized rotator cuff tears undergoing arthroscopic repair.
• Graded glenohumeral joint synovitis (vascularity and hypertrophy) using a modified scoring system in four quarters.
• Performed clinical assessments preoperatively and at 3 and 6 months post-surgery.

Main Results:

• The modified scoring system demonstrated high intraobserver (0.815–0.918) and interobserver (0.779–0.992) reliability.
• Synovitis vascularity correlated significantly with range of motion, strength, and Constant score.
• Synovitis hypertrophy correlated with range of motion within six months post-surgery.

Conclusions:

• A novel scoring system effectively grades synovitis in rotator cuff tears.
• Synovitis severity is a significant factor influencing postoperative clinical outcomes.
• Integrating synovitis treatment into rotator cuff tear management is recommended.