Torn Rotator Cuff a Possible Risk Factor for Contralateral Cuff Tear

Patients who have had both partial and full-thickness rotator cuff tears repaired are significantly more likely to develop a tear on the contralateral side, according to a recently published study.

“We also found noticeable deficits in these patients’ shoulder function in the subcategory of activities of daily living. This suggests that a tear itself is a risk factor regardless of the patient’s age,” Dennis Liem, M.D., and colleagues wrote in their study.

Liem and colleagues studied 55 patients who had a rotator cuff tear that was diagnosed with ultrasound and treated arthroscopically. The researchers examined the patients’ healthy contralateral shoulder and also matched the patients by age and sex to a control group of 55 subjectively healthy individuals.

The presence of supraspinatus tears was significantly higher in the tear group vs. the control group (67.3 percent and 11 percent, respectively). Nine full-thickness tears (16.4 percent) and 28 partial tears (50.9 percent) in the tear group were observed and there were three full-thickness tears (5.5 percent) and three partial tears observed in the control group. Constant score for the activities of daily living subscale, however, was significantly lower in the tear group vs. the control group (18.4 and 19.9, respectively). Other subcategory scores and overall scores showed no statistically significant difference.

A significantly higher tear prevalence in the tear group of patients aged between 50 years and 59 years and between 60 years and 69 years. In the control group, no tear was observed in individuals younger than 60 years.

“We believe that regular screening of the contralateral shoulder has a significant value, especially in the high-risk population of patients already treated on one shoulder,” Liem and colleagues wrote.