Acromioplasty during repair of rotator cuff tears removes only half of the impinging acromial bone.

BACKGROUND: To date, there is no consensus on when and how to perform acromioplasty during rotator cuff repair (RCR). We aimed to determine the volume of impinging bone removed during acromioplasty and whether it influences postoperative range of motion (ROM) and clinical scores after RCR. METHODS: Preoperative and postoperative computed tomography scans of 57 shoulders that underwent RCR were used to reconstruct scapula models to simulate volumes of impinging acromial bone preoperatively and then compare them to the volumes of bone resected postoperatively to calculate the proportions of desired (ideal) vs. unnecessary (excess) resections. All patients were evaluated preoperatively and at 6 months to assess ROM and functional scores. RESULTS: The volume of impinging bone identified was 3.5 ± 2.3 cm3, of which 1.6 ± 1.2 cm3 (50% ± 27%) was removed during acromioplasty. The volume of impinging bone identified was not correlated with preoperative critical shoulder angle (r = 0.025, P = .853), nor with glenoid inclination (r = -0.024, P = .857). The volume of bone removed was 3.7 ± 2.2 cm3, of which 2.1 ± 1.6 cm3 (53% ± 24%) were unnecessary resections. Multivariable analyses revealed that more extensive removal of impinging bone significantly improved internal rotation with the arm at 90° of abduction (beta, 27.5, P = .048) but did not affect other shoulder movements or clinical scores. CONCLUSIONS: Acromioplasty removed only 50% of the estimated volume of impinging acromial bone. More extensive removal of impinging bone significantly improved internal rotation with the arm at 90° of abduction.

Guided versus freehand acromioplasty during rotator cuff repair. A randomized prospective study.

INTRODUCTION: There is no consensus on how to perform acromioplasty, particularly regarding the level and extent of bone resection, which depend on scapular and humeral morphologies. HYPOTHESIS: We aimed to determine whether computer-assisted acromioplasty planning helps surgeons remove impinging bone, reduce unnecessary resections, and improve short-term outcomes of rotator cuff tears (RCR). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We randomized 64 patients undergoing RCR of full-thickness supraspinatus tears into two groups: 'guided acromioplasty' (GA) and 'freehand acromioplasty' (FA). The pre- and post-operative scapula models were reconstructed using computed-tomography scans to quantify impinging bone removal, unnecessary bone resections, and identify zones of acromial bone removal. All patients were evaluated preoperatively and at 6 months to assess their range of motion (ROM), functional scores and tendon integrity using ultrasound. RESULTS: The two groups did not differ in demographics, clinical or morphologic characteristics. Compared to FA, GA tended to lower impinging bone removal (55±26% vs. 43±27%, p=0.087) and to increase unnecessary resection of the total bone removed (49±22% vs. 57±27%, p=0.248). GA resulted in significant anterior under-resection, while FA resulted in significant medial over-resection. Clinical outcomes and ROM improved significantly for all patients, except for internal rotation in the GA group. There were no other significant differences between the two groups, neither in terms of post-operative scores nor in terms of clinical net improvements, nor tendon repair integrity. CONCLUSIONS: This computer-assisted planning for acromioplasty during RCR proved no benefits in terms of bone removal, tendon healing, or clinical outcomes. Nonetheless such planning tools could help less experienced surgeons improve the efficacy of acromioplasty. LEVEL OF PROOF: I, Randomized controlled trial (Therapeutic study).