Comparison of Partial Rotator Cuff Repair versus Superior Capsular Reconstruction for Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to compare two surgical treatments for patients with irreparable rotator cuff tears, a challenging shoulder injury. The study evaluates pain and functional outcomes using several measures including the pain visual analog scale (VAS), simple shoulder test (SST), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgery shoulder score (ASES), and PROMIS-29 score at multiple time points up to 24 months after surgery. It also investigates the failure rates of the treatments using MRI scans at 12 months post-operation. The goal is to understand if adding superior capsular reconstruction (SCR) to partial rotator cuff repair provides any benefit over partial repair alone. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one receiving partial rotator cuff repair alone, and the other receiving partial rotator cuff repair combined with superior capsular reconstruction using acellular dermal allograft. Both surgeries may include other procedures such as subacromial decompression and biceps tenodesis. Surgery will be performed after medical clearance, and intraoperative data such as repair techniques and any complications will be recorded. Patients will follow an identical post-operative care plan and medication regimen. Throughout the study, participants will attend follow-up visits at 6 weeks, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery. At each visit, pain and shoulder function will be assessed using the VAS, SST, ASES, and PROMIS-29 questionnaires, and any complications will be noted. An MRI will be performed at 12 months to assess repair integrity. Researchers will collect data including demographics, injury details, and surgical outcomes to evaluate differences between the two surgical approaches over the two-year period.

Comparison of Partial Rotator Cuff Repair vs. Superior Capsular Reconstruction for Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears