Article

Few authors have considered the outcome after acute
traumatic rotator cuff tears in previously asymptomatic patients. We investigated
whether delay of surgery, age at repair, and the number of cuff tendons involved
affect the structural and clinical outcome. METHODS: 42 patients
with pseudoparalysis after trauma and no previous history of shoulder symptoms
were included. A full-thickness tear in at least 1 of the rotator cuff tendons
was diagnosed in all patients. Mean time to surgery was 38 (6-91) days. Follow-up
at a mean of 39 (12-108) months after surgery included ultrasound, plain
radiographs, Constant-Murley score, DASH score, and western Ontario rotator cuff (WORC) score. RESULTS: At follow-up, 4 patients had a full-thickness tear and 9
had a partial-thickness tear in the repaired shoulder. No correlation between the
structural or clinical outcome and the time to repair within 3 months was found.
The patients with a tendon defect at follow-up had a statistically significantly
lower Constant-Murley score and WORC index in the injured shoulder and were
significantly older than those with intact tendons. The outcomes were similar
irrespective of the number of tendons repaired. INTERPRETATION: A delay of 3
months to repair had no effect on outcome. The patients with cuff defects at
follow-up were older and they had a worse clinical outcome. Multi-tendon injury
did not generate worse outcomes than single-tendon tears at follow-up.

Langue : ANGLAIS