THE CLINICAL OUTCOME FROM A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED STUDY OF ROTATOR CUFF REPAIRS REVIEWED AT TWO, SIX AND 12 MONTHS
Authors: T.D. Bunker, K. Baird, O. Levy, R. Emery, I.G. Kelly, W.A. Wallace and the Panacryl group
References: BESS, 2005
Abstract
This study was carried out to investigate the outcome of rotator cuff repair surgery in 14 centres in th UK in a randomised controlled trial. It also looked at a comparison of a long-acting absorbable suture (Panacyrl) and a non-absorbabable suture (Ethibond).
All patients were treated with open repair of their rotator cuff tear with modified Mason-Allen sutures used in 83% of cases. One hundred and fifty-nine patients were included in the analysis. patients had Constant scores carried out pre-operatively, six and 12 months as well as ultrasound real time dynamic scans at eight weeks, six and 12 months.
Constant pain scores, total constant scores and re-tear rates were measured. There was a significant improvement in the Constant score after rotator cuff repair surgery. However for large tears, the re-tear rate at six months is approximately 50%. Despite this high re-tear rate there was still a good benefit from surgery. Is the improvement in those cases with a re-tear a consequence of the sub-acromial decompression (SAD) and what would have been the outcome with an ASD alone?