Footprint size matters: wider coronal greater tuberosity width is associated with increased rates of healing after rotator cuff repair

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine whether greater tuberosity morphology (1) could be measured reliably on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), (2) differed between patients with rotator cuff tears (RCTs) compared with those without tears or glenohumeral osteoarthritis, or (3) differed between patients with rotator cuff repairs (RCR) who healed and those that did not. METHODS: This is a retrospective comparative study. (1) We measured greater tuberosity width (coronal and sagittal), lateral offset, and angle on MRI corrected into the plane of the humerus. To determine reliability, these measurements were made by two observers and intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated. (2) We compared these measurements between patients with a full-thickness RCT and patients aged >50 years without evidence of a RCT or glenohumeral osteoarthritis. (3) We then compared these measurements between those patients with healed RCRs and those with evidence of retear on MRI. In this portion, we only included patients with both a preoperative and postoperative MRI at least 1 year from RCR. Postoperative MRIs were obtained to assess healing rates, not because of concern for failure. Those without tendon defects were considered healed. RESULTS: (1) In a validation cohort of 50 patients with MRI, all inter-rater intraclass correlation coefficients were greater than 0.75. (2) There were no differences between our RCT group of 110 patients and our comparison group of 100 patients in tuberosity coronal width, sagittal width, or lateral offset. The RCT group had a significantly smaller greater tuberosity angle (63 ± 4° vs 65 ± 5°, P = .003). (3) In our group of 110 RCRs, postoperative MRI scans were obtained at a mean follow-up of 23.6 ± 15.7 months showing 84 (76%) patients had healed RCRs. Larger coronal tuberosity width was associated with healing (1.3 ± 0.2 vs 1.2 ± 0.2 cm, P = .032), as was smaller tear width (P < .001), and retraction (P < .001). When coronal width was dichotomized, there was a significantly higher healing rate with a width over 1.2 cm (85 vs 66%, P = .02). No other greater tuberosity morphological characteristics were associated with RCR or postoperative healing. CONCLUSION: RCTs do not appear to be associated with greater tuberosity morphology. Postoperative rotator cuff healing based on MRI is 76%. Higher rates of healing occur with a wider coronal tuberosity width (ie, rotator cuff tendon footprint). Consideration could be given to widening the footprint intraoperatively in an effort to improve healing rates although this remains to be validated.