Advertisement for orthosearch.org.uk
Orthopaedic Proceedings Logo

Receive monthly Table of Contents alerts from Orthopaedic Proceedings

Comprehensive article alerts can be set up and managed through your account settings

View my account settings

Visit Orthopaedic Proceedings at:

Loading...

Loading...

Full Access

ARTHROSCOPIC REPAIR OF LARGE ROTATOR CUFF TEARS: PROSPECTIVE FOLLOW-UP USING THE WESTERN ONTARIO ROTATOR CUFF (WORC) ASSESSMENT TOOL.



Abstract

Patient outcomes for arthroscopic repairs rotator cuff repairs have been analyzed almost exclusively by means of a single post-operative follow-up date. The purpose of this study was to examine the results of arthroscopic repairs of large rotator cuff tears performed by a single surgeon, both serially and at a two-year endpoint following surgery.

Seventeen patients with retracted U-shaped tears involving the supraspinatus were repaired arthroscopically between June 2002 and October 2003 using marginal convergence suturing followed by tendon-to-bone fixation. Patients were assessed at six weeks, three months, six months, one year, and two years following surgery. Each assessment consisted of a medical history, physical examination, and the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff (WORC®) questionnaire. Evaluation at the two-year study endpoint also included range of motion measurements and a modified University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) scoring system.

During the follow-up period, the three-month average WORC score (63.1%) was the first statistically significant difference from the pre-operation mean of 40.7%. WORC scores peaked at six months post-op (75.5%), and plateaued after this date. The one- and two-year average WORC scores (74.2% and 69.5%, respectively) did not differ significantly from the peak score achieved after six months. At the final two-year follow-up, the average UCLA score was 27.1. Fourteen of seventeen patients (78%) were satisfied with their surgical outcome. When workers’ compensation claimants were excluded from the results, the average UCLA score was 32.0 and patient satisfaction was 100%. There was no significant difference in average range of motion between the surgically-repaired shoulder and the unaffected shoulder.

This study shows that shoulder function improved significantly by three months after arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery and plateaued at six months post-op as measured by the WORC index. There was no statistically significant change in WORC score after six months post-op.

Correspondence should be addressed to: Cynthia Vezina, Communications Manager, COA, 4150-360 Ste. Catherine St. West, Westmount, QC H3Z 2Y5, Canada