Progression of Symptomatic Partial-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears: Association With Initial Tear Involvement and Work...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Radiology

Background:

• Partial-thickness rotator cuff tears (PTRCTs) have a tendency to progress into full-thickness tears.
• Identifying risk factors for PTRCT progression is crucial for timely surgical intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the risk factors associated with the progression of partial-thickness rotator cuff tears.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study included 89 patients with PTRCT treated nonoperatively.
• Evaluated factors included patient characteristics, shoulder stiffness, work level, initial tear size, acromion type, and initial tear involvement.
• Tear progression was defined as a >20% increase in tear involvement on MRI.

Main Results:

• Tear progression occurred in 13.5% of patients over a mean follow-up of 22.3 months.
• Significant risk factors identified by univariate analysis included shoulder stiffness, work level, initial tear size, and acromion type.
• Multivariate analysis revealed initial tear involvement (>47.5%) and high work level as independent predictors of progression.

Conclusions:

• Initial tear involvement and high work level are significant risk factors for PTRCT progression.
• Evaluating initial tear involvement percentage on MRI is essential for predicting tear progression.
• A cutoff of 47.5% for initial tear involvement accurately predicts progression risk.