Arthroscopic Repair of Full-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears in Active Patients Younger Than 40 Years: 2-to 5-Year Clinical Outcomes

摘要

This study characterized injury patterns and reported clinical outcomes of all-arthroscopic management of full-thickness rotator cuff tears among military patients younger than 40 years. A retrospective review was performed of prospective data for 42 patients younger than 40 years who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair and, in some cases, concomitant labral repair. Preoperative and postoperative evaluations (minimum follow-up, 2 years; mean, 41 months; range, 24-66 months) included range of motion, visual analog scale (VAS) score, Subjective Shoulder Value (SSV), and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Shoulder Score. Of the patients, 97.6% (41 of 42) had improved VAS, SST, and ASES scores. Mean VAS score improved from 8.09 +/- 1.51 to 1.19 +/- 1.85 (P.01). Mean SSV improved from 47.88 +/- 19.56 to 89.45 +/- 14.04 (P.01). Mean ASES score improved from 38.97 +/- 12.70 to 89.88 +/- 14.26 (P.01). No difference for VAS, SSV, and ASES scores was noted between (1) all 42 patients, (2) the 26 patients who had rotator cuff repair but not labral repair, and (3) the 16 patients who had both rotator cuff repair and labral repair. Complications (7.1%; 3 of 42) included 2 postoperatively frozen shoulders and 1 retear of the rotator cuff. Of the patients, 95.2% (40 of 42) returned to their preoperative level of recreational and military job activity. Military patients younger than 40 years who have a full-thickness rotator cuff tear have a high prevalence of concomitant shoulder injury, especially labral tear. For patients younger than 40 years, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, with or without labral repair, resulted in excellent clinical outcomes, a low risk of complications, and a high rate of return to the preoperative level of recreational and military job activity.