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June 06, 2024
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Bone marrow stimulation may not affect outcomes of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair

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Key takeaways:

  • Bone marrow stimulation for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair did not impact postoperative outcomes vs. a control group.
  • Both groups showed similar functional, clinical and radiographic outcomes at 2 years.

Published results showed patients who received bone marrow stimulation with arthroscopic rotator cuff repair had similar functional, clinical and radiographic outcomes at 2 years compared with a control group.

Researchers randomly assigned 204 patients with small, medium or large full-thickness rotator cuff tears to undergo arthroscopic rotator cuff repair alone (n = 101) or with bone marrow stimulation (n = 103) between November 2017 and April 2020.

Rotator cuff
Bone marrow stimulation for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair did not impact postoperative outcomes vs. a control group. Image: Adobe stock

Researchers assessed range of motion (ROM), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, Constant scores and VAS pain scores at 3 and 6 months, 1 year and 2 years postoperatively. They also assessed tendon integrity with ultrasounds at 6 months and 2 years postoperatively.

During the 2-year follow-up, researchers found no differences in ROM, ASES scores, Constant scores or VAS pain scores between the groups. They noted no evidence of retears when assessing tendon integrity on postoperative ultrasounds.

“It can be concluded that the outcomes of small to large rotator cuff repair are unlikely to be significantly affected by [bone marrow stimulation] BMS,” the researchers wrote in the study.