• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2018

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate the latest trend of studies on treatments of postoperative rotator cuff tear patients which are published in Korea. Methods : We investigated the studies on the treatments of postoperative rotator cuff tear patients via searching 6(six) Korean web databases(NSDL, RISS, Korean traditional knowledge portal, OASIS, KISTI, KCI). As a result, 16(sixteen) studies were found. We classified the papers by publication date, published journal, method of study, type of treatment, evaluation scale and referencing research ethics. Results : 16(sixteen) papers were published from 2006 to 2017. The papers were published in The journal of Korean shoulder & elbow society, The journal of korean acupuncture & moxibustion medicine, etc. 5(five) randomized controlled trials, 5(five) non-randomized controlled trials, 4(four) case reports and 2(two) Retrospective report have been found. For types of treatment, 6(six) exercise therapies, 3(three) Korean medicine treatments and 7(seven) other treatments have been found. Main evaluation tools were VAS, ROM, NRS and Muscle strength. Conclusions : In this study, we analyzed the latest trend of studies on treatments of postoperative rotator cuff tear patients. Reviewing the international trends of studies on treatments for postoperative rotator cuff tear are essential for the future studies.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.70-78
• /
• 2019

Background: This study evaluated postoperative changes in the supraspinatus from time-zero to 6 months, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We hypothesized that restoration of the musculotendinous unit of the rotator cuff by tendon repair immediately improves the rotator cuff muscle status, and maintains it months after surgery. Methods: Totally, 76 patients (29 men, 47 women) with rotator cuff tears involving the supraspinatus tendon who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs were examined. MRI evaluation showed complete repair with intact integrity of the torn tendon at both time-zero and at 6 months follow-up. All patients underwent standardized MRI at our institution preoperatively, at 1 or 2 days postoperative, and at 6 months after surgery. Supraspinatus muscular (SSP) atrophy (Thomazeau grade) and fatty infiltrations (Goutallier stage) were evaluated by MRI. The cross-sectional area of SSP in the fossa was also measured. Results: As determined by MRI, the cross-sectional area of SSP significantly decreased 11.41% from time-zero (immediate repair) to 6 months post-surgery, whereas the Goutallier stage and Thomazeau grade showed no significant changes (p<0.01). Furthermore, compared to the preoperative MRI, the postoperative MRI at 6 months showed a no statistically significant increase of 8.03% in the cross-sectional area. In addition, morphological improvements were observed in patients with high grade Goutallier and Thomazeau at time-zero, whereas morphology of patients with low grade factors were almost similar to before surgery. Conclusions: Our results indicate that cross-sectional area of the initial repair appears to decrease after a few months postoperatively, possibly due to medial retraction or strained muscle.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.25-34
• /
• 2021

Objectives This study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effect of acupuncture after rotator cuff surgery. Methods Key words such as rotator cuff surgery and acupuncture were searched in 10 databases (Ovid-Medline, Ovid-EMBASE, Ovid-AMED, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI], National Digital Science Library [NDSL], Koreanstudies Information Service System [KISS], Oriental medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System [OASIS], KoreaMed, KMBASE), and only suitable randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected. Results 6 RCTs were finally selected, and acupuncture showed positive results for pain relief and functional recovery after rotator cuff surgery. However, the analyzed 6 RCTs showed a high overall risk of bias. Conclusions In the future, RCTs with a higher level of evidence on the effect of acupuncture after rotator cuff surgery need to be continuously conducted.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.203-209
• /
• 2019

Background: Clinical outcomes and prognosis of large and massive rotator cuff tears are known to be unpredictable not only in degeneration of the rotator cuff, but also due to a high rate of retear. Methods: Totally, 81 patients who had undergone arthroscopic rotator cuff repair from May 2008 to February 2016 were evaluated in our study. Clinical and functional evaluations were performed with the Constant score and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) score, as well as full physical examination of the shoulder. All patients were confirmed to have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of tendon healing at least 1 year postoperatively. Results: The average age at the time of surgery was 65 years (range, 47-78 years). The average duration of postoperative time in which a follow-up MRI was performed was 36.1 months (range, 12-110 months). Large tears were present in 48 cases (59.3%) and massive tears in 33 cases (40.7%). Overall, there were 33 retear cases (40.7%). All the average clinical outcome scores were significantly improved at the last follow-up (p<0.001), although repair integrity was not maintained. Compared to type A, types C, and D of the Collin's classification showed significantly higher retear rates (p=0.036). Conclusions: Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair yields improved clinical outcomes and a relatively high degree of patient satisfaction, despite the repair integrity not being maintained. Involvement of the subscapularis muscle or infraspinatus muscle had no effect on the retear rate.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.43-52
• /
• 2023

Objectives This study aimed to investigate trends in domestic and international clinical approaches to the Korean medicine treatment of rotator cuff calcific tendinitis and to suggest future research directions. Methods We utilized nine electronic databases to identify domestic and international studies on Korean medicine treatment for rotator cuff calcific tendinitis. By analyzing the title, abstract, and main text, studies concerning Korean medicine treatment of rotator cuff tendinitis were included. Results Among the searched for studies, fourteen studies met our criteria. Eight of these were case reports and six were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Across the studies, five treatment methods were employed, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, physical therapy, cupping therapy, and moxibustion. Acupuncture, used in all fourteen studies, was the most frequently utilized intervention. Thirteen evaluation tools were used to measure the effectiveness of Korean medicine treatment, and all studies reported positive outcomes. Conclusions We identified current trends in clinical approaches of Korean medicine treatment for rotator cuff calcific tendinitis and assessed the effectiveness of such treatment. However, further studies are warranted to establish a basis for Korean medicine treatment for rotator cuff calcific tendinitis.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.26-31
• /
• 2024

Background: The coracoacromial ligament (CAL) is frequently observed to be damaged during arthroscopy and it is unclear how demographic, anatomic, and radiographic factors are related to CAL degeneration in full-thickness rotator cuff tears. Methods: A prospective study was conducted of patients at a single institution undergoing shoulder arthroscopy for first-time, full-thickness rotator cuff tears. We evaluated preoperative anteroposterior radiographs to obtain critical shoulder angle, glenoid inclination, acromial index, acromiohumeral distance, lateral acromial angle, and acromial morphology. We documented CAL quality, rotator cuff tear size and pattern during arthroscopy. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify predictive factors for encountering severe CAL fraying during arthroscopy. Results: Shoulders had mild CAL degeneration in 58.1% of cases, whereas severe CAL degeneration was present in 41.9% of shoulders. Patients with severe CAL attrition were significantly older (62.0 years vs. 58.0 years, P=0.042). Shoulders with severe CAL attrition had large rotator cuff tears in 54.1% of cases (P<0.001), and tears involving the infraspinatus (63.2% vs. 29.6%, P=0.003). The severe degeneration group was more likely to have a larger critical shoulder angle measurement on preoperative radiographs than those in the mild attrition group (36.1°±3.6° [range, 30°-45°] vs. 34.1°±3.8° [range, 26°-45°], P=0.037). Conclusions: While the clinical impact of CAL degeneration remains uncertain, increased severity of CAL degeneration is associated with older age, larger rotator cuff tear size, presence of infraspinatus tearing, and increased preoperative critical shoulder angle. Level of evidence: III.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.27-41
• /
• 2024

Objectives This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture for rotator cuff disorder. Methods We searched nine online databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Chinese Academic Journals, Korean studies Information Service System, Rsearch Information Sharing Service, ScienceON, KMbase, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System) and two related journals up to April 2024 to identify randomized controlled trials that applied electroacupuncture to rotator cuff disorder. Selected studies were analyzed for risk of bias using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and a meta-analysis was performed with RevMan version 5.4.1. Results Out of 175 studies, eleven randomized controlled trials were selected for final analysis. Most studies showed that electroacupuncture had effect on rotator cuff disorder. In the meta-analysis, electroacupuncture combined with rehabilitation treatment was significantly more effective than rehabilitation treatment alone in improving visual analog scale (p<0.00001). Almost studies did not report any side effects or adverse reactions to electroacupuncture treatment. Conclusions This systematic review suggests that electroacupuncture is an effective treatment for pain management in rotator cuff disorder. However, the lack of adverse effect reporting and a high risk of bias indicate the need for high-quality randomized controlled trials from various countries.

• Journal of the Korean Arthroscopy Society
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.131-135
• /
• 2002

Object : To evaluate the prognostic factors of the rotator cuff tear after anterior dislocation of the shoulder over the 5th decades of age. Methods : We evaluated twelve patients who had rotator cuff tears combined with primary anterior dislocation of the glenohumeral joint between May 1995 and October 1998. Their age were ranged from 42 to 67-years-old. Two of them were initially presumed to have an injury of the axillary nerve and associated with avulsion fracture of the greater tuberosity. Among twelve patients who had rotator cuff tears, 8 cases had massive, 3 cases had medium and one case had a small sized tear. Results : All the tears of the rotator cuff were repaired and the results were obtained by UCLA shoulder rating scale. Ten cases of them revealed more than good results except for 2 cases who had been unhappy triad of the shoulder injury. Conclusions : In the case of anterior dislocation of shoulder, it is necessary to check the injury of rotator cuff and axillary nerve in the middle age group. If these injuries are combined, proper rotator cuff repair and axillary nerve rehabilitation program would be asked for better results.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.24-28
• /
• 2008

Purpose: We wanted to determine if preoperative three dimensional (3D) ultrasonographic evaluation for rotator cuff tear is useful to measure the real size of a torn rotator cuff for performing an operation Materials and Methods: This study included 15 cases (7 males and 8 female), and these patients were confirmed to have a full thickness tear of the rotator cuff by 3D ultrasonography and the operative findings, as well as on the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The average age of the patients was 55.4yrs. Results: The average difference between the 3D ultrasonographic and operative measurements of the full thickness tear of the rotator cuff was 0.7 mm in the transverse length and 2.0 mm in the longitudinal length. Conclusion: The low error between the 3D ultrasonographic and intraoperative measurements of rotator cuff tear shows the usefulness of preoperative 3D ultrasonographic evaluation for rotator cuff tear.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.29-36
• /
• 2008

Purpose: We wanted to evaluate the relationship between the clinical outcomes and cuff integrity after open rotator cuff repair and we wanted to analyze the causes of rotator cuff retear. Materials and Methods: 78 patients who underwent open rotator cuff repair were enrolled from 2004 to 2006. All the patients were observed for a minimum follow-up of 12 months and they were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The clinical outcomes were accessed by dividing the patients into the retear group and the intact group. The groups were also compared to analyze the cause of rotator cuff retear according to the preoperative tear size, the symptom duration, and so on. Results: The clinical outcome of the retear group (n=22) was improved significantly after operation (p<0.001, p<0.001), but the muscle power was not improved significantly (p=0.099, p=0.243). More retears were found in the patients who had a larger preoperative tear (p<0.001) and the symptom duration of the retear group was longer (p=0.027). Conclusion: Although there were retear after rotator cuff repair, the clinical outcomes were improved. Yet the muscle power of the supraspinatus and external rotator were not improved significantly. There were more retears for the cases that had a larger preoperative tear size and a longer duration of symptoms.