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

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Abstract
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.