Re-Tear Rates Following Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery

Aim Re-tears following rotator cuff repair surgery are a common occurrence. Previous studies have identified several factors that have been shown to increase the risk of re-tears. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rate of re-tear following primary rotator cuff repair and to identify the factors that may contribute to this rate. Method The authors performed a retrospective review, looking at rotator cuff repair surgeries performed between May 2017 and July 2019 performed in a hospital by three specialist surgeons. All methods of repair were included. All patients' medical data, including imaging and operation records, were reviewed. Results A total of 148 patients were identified. Ninety-three males and 55 females with a mean age of 58 years (range 33-79 years). Thirty-four patients (23%) had post-operative imaging with either magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasound, where it was found that 20 (14%) had a confirmed re-tear. Of these patients, nine went on to have further repair surgery. The average age of the re-tear patients was 59 (age range 39-73) and 55% were female. The majority of the re-tears were from chronic rotator cuff injuries. This paper did not identify any correlation between smoking status or diabetes mellitus and re-tear rates. Conclusions This study indicates that re-tear after rotator cuff repair surgery is a common complication. The majority of studies find increasing age to be the biggest risk factor; however, this was not the case in our study which found females in their 50s to have the highest rate of re-tear. Additional research is required to understand what factors can contribute towards rotator cuff re-rupture rates.