Arthroscopic additional biceps augmentation and biceps superior capsular reconstruction yield similar clinical and radiological outcomes for patients with medium to large rotator cuff tears.

Purpose: To compare the outcomes of additional biceps augmentation (ABA) and biceps superior capsule reconstruction (BSCR) in arthroscopic medium to large rotator cuff tear (RCT) repair. Hypothesis: Both ABA and BSCR yielded comparable clinical and radiological outcomes and retear rates at the 2-year follow-up in patients with medium to large RCTs.

Methods

Patients undergoing ABA or BSCR for RCT repairs were included retrospectively between January 2019 and May 2020. The preoperative and postoperative Constant-Murley score (CMS), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, subjective shoulder value (SSV), visual analog scale (VAS), and range of motion (ROM) were recorded, as well as the radiographic evaluation.

Results

67 patients (41 with ABA, 26 with BSCR) were included. There were no significant differences regarding preoperative patient demographics between groups unless forward flexion. In the ABA group, CMS, ASES, SSV, and VAS improved significantly from 33.9 ± 6.0, 37.3 ± 8.7, 24.9 ± 12.3, and 5.1 ± 1.1 to 79.3 ± 8.4, 82.7 ± 8.4, 77.5 ± 10.9, and 2.4 ± 0.6, at 2-year follow-up (all p < .001). In the BSCR group, the CMS, ASES, SSV, and VAS significantly improved from 33.9 ± 5.5, 33.5 ± 11.6, 20.8 ± 9.8, and 5.3 ± 1.5 to 72.8 ± 12.9, 79.6 ± 12.1, 73.1 ± 10.2, and 2.7 ± 0.8, at follow-up (all p < .001). All ROM improved at follow-up in both groups (all p < .001). No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding the postoperative clinical and radiological results. All patients reached minimal clinically important differences for CMS, ASES, SSV, and VAS at the final follow-up. The retear rates in the ABA and BSCR groups were 0% and 7.7%, respectively (p = .001).

Conclusions

Both ABA and BSCR provided similar clinical and radiological outcomes in patients with medium to large RCTs. The BSCR group had a higher retear rate than the ABA group. Level of Evidence: Level III, Retrospective comparative therapeutic trial. Clinical Relevance: Both ABA and BSCR provided comparable clinical and radiological outcomes in patients with medium to large RCTs.