Degenerative full thickness rotator cuff tears:Towards optimal management

The shoulder is one of the most complex joints in the body. Besides a wide range of motion it also has to be stable. The rotator cuff is a major stabiliser of the glenohumoral joint. With increasing age rotator cuff tears are common. Successful treatment is described following surgical (rotator cuff repair) and conservative treatment. The aim of this thesis is to optimise management of degenerative rotator cuff tears. A randomised controlled trial was performed to compare both treatment modalities. At the one yearly follow up in all included patients standardized functional outcome scores were taken. In our population of patients we found at one year no significant differences in functional outcome scores. The best scores were found in the group of patients with an intact rotator cuff following repair. However, in 73% of patients treated surgically a retear was found. MRI assesment of the rotator cuff tear was commenced at inclusion and one year following treatment. We found during one year of conservative treatment no increase in tear size or other degenerative changes that could influence cuff reparability if conservative treatment would fail. This finding do not support the theory that early rotator cuff repair should be performd to prevent increase in tear size and other degenerative changes that would influence cuff repairability. A systematic review was performed to identify prognostic factors for rotator cuff repair. Surgical repair should be carefully considered in patients in older age groups, with multipele tendon involvement and greater tear sizes

Clinical and radiological outcome of conservative vs. surgical treatment of atraumatic degenerative rotator cuff rupture: design of a randomized controlled trial

Background: Subacromial impingement syndrome is a frequently observed disorder in orthopedic practice. Lasting symptoms and impairment may occur when a subsequent atraumatic rotator cuff rupture is also present. However, degenerative ruptures of the rotator cuff can also be observed in asymptomatic elderly individuals. Treatment of these symptomatic degenerative ruptures may be conservative or surgical. Acceptable results are reported for both treatment modalities. No evidence-based level-1 studies have been conducted so far to compare these treatment modalities. The objective of this study is to determine whether there is a difference in outcome between surgical reconstruction and conservative treatment of a degenerative atraumatic rotator cuff tendon rupture. Methods/Design: A randomized controlled trial will be conducted. Patients aged between 45 and 75 with a symptomatic atraumatic rotator cuff rupture as diagnosed by MRI will be included. Exclusion criteria are traumatic rotator cuff rupture, frozen shoulder and diabetes mellitus. Patients will be randomized into two groups. Conservative treatment includes physical therapy according to a standardized protocol, NSAIDs and, if indicated, subacromial infiltration with a local anesthetic and corticosteroids. Surgical reconstruction is performed under general anesthesia in combination with an interscalenus plexus block. An acromioplasty with reconstruction of the rotator cuff tendon is performed, as described by Rockwood et al. Measurements take place preoperatively and 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year postoperatively. The primary outcome measure is the Constant score. Secondary measures include both disease-specific and generic outcome measures, and an economic evaluation. Additionally, one year after inclusion a second MRI will be taken of all patients in order to determine whether extent and localization of the rupture as well as the amount of fatty degeneration are prognostic factors. Discussion: Both surgical as conservative treatment of a symptomatic atraumatic rotator cuff tendon rupture is used in current practice. There is a lack of level-1 studies comparing surgical vs. conservative treatment. This randomized controlled trial has been designed to determine whether the surgical treatment of a degenerative atraumatic rotator cuff tendon rupture may lead to a better functional and radiological outcome than conservative treatment after one year of follow-up

The prevalence and clinical course of shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) after COVID-19 vaccines in Dutch hospital workers

INTRODUCTION: Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA) is a rare disorder characterized by persistent shoulder pain and limited range of motion presenting within 48 h after vaccine administration. With the widespread distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, the incidence of SIRVA is expected to rise. This sudden rise in vaccine administration presents an ideal opportunity to estimate the prevalence of SIRVA and to better characterize SIRVA. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of SIRVA following COVID-19 vaccine administration among hospital workers in the Netherlands. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to all hospital workers from a single non-academic hospital in the Netherlands. Respondents who had active SIRVA complaints were invited for an outpatient orthopaedic clinic assessment. Data was collected on participant characteristics and physical examination including assessment of active and passive range of motion (ROM). An ultrasound was performed to identify potential abnormalities. RESULTS: 32 out of 981 (3.3%) respondents reported shoulder pain with limited ROM occurring within 48 h after vaccine administration lasting for at least 7 days. Of these 32 respondents with SIRVA, 18 (56.2%) still reported active symptoms at the time of the survey. Clinical examination of 13 (72.2%) respondents with active SIRVA complaints showed limited glenohumeral ROM, limitations in activities of daily living and injection site pain. Twelve out of thirteen (92.3%) respondents with active SIRVA complaints showed abnormalities of the soft-tissue of the shoulder on ultrasound. Physiotherapy was the most common treatment modality for persistent SIRVA complaints (38.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of SIRVA is estimated at 3% in the adult working population. Signs and symptoms of SIRVA are variable in severity, localization and timing. Soft-tissue abnormalities is the most common clinical sign. This study contributes to clinician's knowledge on SIRVA, aiding in early recognition and treatment, which are imperative for prevention of persistent and severe shoulder pathology

Specific patient-related prognostic factors for rotator cuff repair:a systematic review

Background: Many studies that describe factors affecting outcome in primary rotator cuff repair (RCR) have been published, but so far there is no review that summarizes them. This systematic review was conducted to identify prognostic factors influencing functional (clinical) outcome and radiologically proven cuff integrity after RCR. Methods: A literature search was conducted up to July 2013 for prospective studies that describe prognostic factors affecting outcome in primary RCR. Inclusion criteria were open or arthroscopic repair of a fullthickness supraspinatus or infraspinatus tear. Included outcome measures were shoulder function and cuff integrity. Studies describing revision surgery, muscle transpositions, and subscapular or partial-thickness tears and those with retrospectively collected data were excluded, as were studies without linear or multivariate regression. The literature search resulted in 662 hits, and 12 of those studies were included in this review. Results: Moderate evidence was found for increasing age, larger tear size, and additional biceps or acromioclavicular procedures to have a negative influence on cuff integrity at follow-up as well as for Workers' Compensation Board status to have a negative influence on functional outcome after RCR. There is limited evidence that performance of an additional acromioclavicular procedure has a negative influence on functional outcome. There was insufficient evidence for other described prognostic factors. Conclusion: Several patient-specific factors influencing functional and radiologic outcome after RCR have been identified. These factors can guide orthopedic surgeons in their decision-making process as to whether to operate on their patients. (C) 2014 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees

Number and frequency of albuminuria measurements in clinical trials in diabetic nephropathy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Albuminuria change is often used to assess drug efficacy in intervention trials in nephrology. The change is often calculated using a variable number of urine samples collected at baseline and end of treatment. Yet more albuminuria measurements usually occur. Because albuminuria shows a large day-to-day variability, this study assessed to what extent the average and the precision of the antialbuminuric drug effect varies with the number of urine collections at each visit and the number of follow-up visits. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: This study used data from three randomized intervention trials (Aliskiren Combined with Losartan in Type 2 Diabetes and Nephropathy, Selective Vitamin D Receptor Activation for Albuminuria Lowering, and Residual Albuminuria Lowering with Endothelin Antagonist Atrasentan) including patients with type 2 diabetes and macroalbuminuria. Albuminuria-lowering drug effects were estimated from one, two, or three urine collections at consecutive days before each study visit and reported as albuminuria change from baseline to end of treatment or the change over time considering an average of all follow-up albuminuria measurements. RESULTS: Increasing the number of urine collections for an albuminuria measurement at baseline and end of treatment or using all study visits during follow-up did not alter the average drug effect. The precision of the drug effect increased (decreased SEM) when the number of study visits and the number of urine collections per visit were increased. Using all albuminuria measurements at all study visits led to a 4- to 6-fold reduction in sample size to detect a 30% albuminuria-lowering treatment effect with 80% power compared with using baseline and end-of-treatment albuminuria measurements alone. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing the number of urine collections per study visit and the number of visits over time does not change the average drug effect estimate but markedly increases the precision, thereby enhancing statistical power. Thus, clinical trial designs in diabetic nephropathy using albuminuria as an end point can be significantly improved, leading to smaller sample sizes and less complex trials

initial angiotensin receptor blockade-induced decrease in albuminuria is associated with long-term renal outcome in type 2 diabetic patients with microalbuminuria:a post hoc analysis of the IRMA-2 trial

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the individual impact of initial responses in urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) to angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) treatment on long-term renal outcome in patients with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a post hoc analysis of the Irbesartan in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Microalbuminuria (IRMA)-2 trial we first assessed the individual variability in UAE and SBP response (0-6 months) in 531 subjects. Subsequently, we analyzed the individual effect of both response parameters on renal outcome defined as change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) during 2 years of follow-up. RESULTS: The median reductions in UAE and SBP in the population were -18% and -11 mmHg, respectively. In irbesartan-treated patients, 85 (24.4%) had a robust (>median) reduction in UAE but not in SBP (discordant SBP response) and 67 (19.3%) had a robust (>median) reduction in SBP but not in UAE (discordant UAE response). The degree of reduction in UAE was independently associated with the rate of eGFR decline (P = 0.0037). SBP showed a similar trend (P = 0.087). The relation between a larger UAE reduction and a slower rate of renal function decline was present in both cohorts with a SBP change above and below the median. CONCLUSIONS: Within an individual, UAE response to ARB therapy may be discordant from SBP response. The initial change in UAE was independently associated with eGFR slope; the more UAE reduction the less eGFR decline, irrespective of the SBP change. These results suggest that in microalbuminuric patients with type 2 diabetes, UAE should be monitored after initiation of therapy and a separate target for renoprotective therapy