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. 2019 Dec 20;7(12):2325967119889049.
doi: 10.1177/2325967119889049. eCollection 2019 Dec.

Retears of the Rotator Cuff: An Ultrasonographic Assessment During the First Postoperative Year

Giussepe Aguado  1 , Daniel Vernaza Obando  2 , Gilberto A Herrera  1   3 , Alejandro Ramirez  1 , Paulo J Llinás  1   3   4
Affiliations

Retears of the Rotator Cuff: An Ultrasonographic Assessment During the First Postoperative Year

Giussepe Aguado et al. Orthop J Sports Med. .

Abstract

Background: Surgical repair of rotator cuff (RC) tears is an effective treatment option. However, the prevalence of recurrent ruptures is high.

Hypothesis: Recurrent tears are a frequent complication of surgical repair of RC tears. Their incidence might be influenced by factors such as the patient's age and size of the initial tear.

Study design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods: Data from 90 adult patients who underwent arthroscopic RC repair between 2014 and 2017 and underwent an ultrasound examination 6 to 12 months after surgery were analyzed retrospectively. Massive tears were repaired using a double-row technique, and nonmassive tears were repaired with a single-row technique. Clinical records were reviewed for demographic information.

Results: All patients (57.8% women; 42.2% men) were older than 18 years (mean, 58.9 years). Of these patients, 30.0% (27/90) had massive tears, which were primarily found in patients ≥60 years (74.1%; 20/27). Complete healing was seen in 74.5% of all repairs during follow-up. A total of 23 patients (25.5%) had retears (13 complete; 10 partial), which were diagnosed by ultrasound imaging 6 to 12 months after the initial surgery. The occurrence of retears was more prevalent in patients with massive tears than in patients with nonmassive tears (40.7% vs 19.0%, respectively); the difference was statistically significant (P = .03). Reruptures occurred in 50.0% of patients older than 60 years with massive tears. Although patients older than 60 years had more recurrent tears (32.6%) compared with younger patients (18.2%), the difference was not statistically significant (P = .12).

Conclusion: One-quarter of the patients who had undergone surgical repair of an RC tear had recurrent ruptures. There was a statistically significant association between the initial massive tear and a retear. Patients older than 60 years showed a higher recurrence rate, but this difference lacked statistical significance. Reruptures occurred in 50.0% of patients older than 60 years with massive tears.

Keywords: massive tear; retear; rotator cuff; rotator cuff tear.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared that there are no conflicts of interest in the authorship and publication of this contribution. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Measurement of footprint exposure in the anteroposterior plane.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Ultrasound with a high-frequency (18 MHz) linear transducer: (A) longitudinal and (B) transverse planes of the supraspinatus tendon. Partial-thickness retear of the bursal fibers (yellow arrows), compromising 50% of the tendon. GT, greater tuberosity; HH, humeral head; SS, supraspinatus tendon.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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