Comparison of clinical and patient-based measures to assess medium-term outcomes following shoulder surgery for disorders of the rotator cuff

Objective. To compare different assessments following shoulder surgery for impingement syndrome with or without rotator cuff tear or repair. Methods. A prospective study of 93 patients was conducted. Standard assessments were performed before, at 6 months, and at 4 years following shoulder surgery using the patient-based Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS), the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire, and a surgeon-assessed Constant Shoulder Score. Patients were categorized according to the surgery received in relation to the presence of cuff tears: full repair, partial repair, cuff tear/no repair, no tear/no repair. Results. Most patients (57%) received subacromial decompression for impingement with no cuff tear. This group had the fewest pre- and postoperative symptoms. The category of patients who received only partial repair of a cuff tear had worse scores on all outcome assessments compared with other groups. Patient-based measures were more stable over time than the Constant. Conclusion. The shoulder-specific measures had greater sensitivity than the SF-36 in registering significant differences in outcomes between comparison groups at 6 months and 4 years.