Does Having a Rotator Cuff Repair Before Total Shoulder Arthroplasty Influence Outcomes?

BACKGROUND: The number of rotator cuff repairs (RCRs) is increasing each year. Total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is a successful treatment option for patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis with a functioning rotator cuff. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: The purposes of this study were to report the outcomes of TSA in patients with ipsilateral RCR and determine whether patients with a history of ipsilateral RCR who subsequently underwent TSA had differences in outcomes compared with matched controls who underwent TSA with no history of RCR. We hypothesized that patients with prior RCR will have significant improvements in clinical outcome scores, with no difference in outcomes after TSA compared with those with no prior RCR. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: Patients eligible for inclusion were those with a history of prior RCR who underwent TSA at a single institution with a minimum 2-year follow-up between 2000 and 2015. Outcomes for this group, including American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) scores, were reported and then compared with a matched control group of patients who underwent TSA with no history of prior RCR. Controls were matched based on age, sex, and preoperative ASES score. RESULTS: Overall, 14 patients (64% males; mean ± SD age, 65.1 ± 11.1 years) underwent prior ipsilateral RCR before TSA. ASES scores significantly improved from 42.9 to 78.5 at 2 years and to 86.6 at 5 years. When compared with 42 matched control patients (matched 1:3) who underwent TSA with no history of RCR, there was no significant difference in ASES scores at 2 years (78.5 vs 85.3; P = .19) and 5 years (86.6 vs 90.9; P = .72) between the prior RCR and no RCR groups. CONCLUSION: TSA in patients with a history of prior ipsilateral RCR led to significant improvements in clinical outcomes. No difference in clinical outcomes at 2 or 5 years after TSA was found between patients with and without a history of prior ipsilateral RCR.