A prospective evaluation of survivorship of asymptomatic XXXX cuff tears.

@entity717 @entity1283 @entity121 @entity158
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this prospective study was to report the long-term risks of @entity717 cuff @entity1283 and symptom progression associated with degenerative asymptomatic tears. METHODS: Subjects with an asymptomatic @entity717 cuff tear in one shoulder and @entity158 due to @entity717 cuff disease in the contralateral shoulder enrolled as part of a prospective longitudinal study. Two hundred and twenty-four subjects (118 initial full-thickness tears, fifty-six initial partial-thickness tears, and fifty controls) were followed for a median of 5.1 years. Validated functional shoulder scores were calculated (visual analog @entity158 scale, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons [ASES], and simple shoulder test [SST] scores). Subjects were followed annually with shoulder ultrasonography and clinical evaluations. RESULTS: @entity1283 was seen in 49% of the shoulders, and the median time to enlargement was 2.8 years. The occurrence of @entity1283 was influenced by the severity of the final tear type, with enlargement of 61% of the full-thickness tears, 44% of the partial-thickness tears, and 14% of the controls (p < 0.05). Subject age and sex were not related to @entity1283 . One hundred subjects (46%) developed new @entity158 . The final tear type was associated with a greater risk of @entity158 development, with the new @entity158 developing in 28% of the controls, 46% of the shoulders with a partial-thickness tear, and 50% of those with a full-thickness tear (p < 0.05). The presence of @entity1283 was associated with the onset of new @entity158 (p < 0.05). Progressive degenerative changes of the supraspinatus muscle were associated with @entity1283 , with supraspinatus @entity121 increasing in 4% of the shoulders with a stable tear compared with 30% of the shoulders with @entity1283 (p < 0.05). Nine percent of the shoulders with a stable tear showed increased infraspinatus @entity121 compared with 28% of those in which the tear had enlarged (p = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the progressive nature of @entity717 . The risk of @entity1283 and progression of @entity121 is greater for shoulders with a full-thickness tear, and @entity1283 is associated with a greater risk of @entity158 development across all tear types. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
