Significant radiologic factors related to clinical outcomes after arthroscopic rotator cuff retear repair

Healing of the tendon itself is not always related to successful clinical outcomes after rotator cuff repair. It was hypothesized that certain radiologic factors affecting clinical outcomes could exist in case of the retear after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) and the radiologic factors could help predict clinical process. The purpose of this study was to identify the radiologic factors associated with clinical outcomes of the retear after ARCR.

Between January 2012 and December 2019, among patients with sufficient footprint coverage for ARCR, 96 patients with Sugaya classification 4 or higher retear on follow-up magnetic resonance imaging were included. The association between clinical outcomes such as American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, Constant score and range of motion and radiologic variables such as initial tear dimension, retear dimension, variance of tear dimension, critical shoulder angle, acromial index, and acromiohumeral distance was analyzed.

Preoperatively, the ASES and Constant scores were 59.81±17.02 and 64.30±15.27, respectively. And at the last follow-up, they improved to 81.56±16.29 and 78.62±14.16, respectively (p<0.01 and p<0.01). In multiple linear regression analysis, the variance of the mediolateral dimension of tear had statistically significant association with the ASES and Constant scores (p<0.01 and p=0.01).

In patients with the retear after ARCR, the variance in the mediolateral dimension of tear had significantly negative association with the clinical outcomes. This could be considered to be reference as relative criteria and needed more sample and mechanical study.