ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2023
Definition of irreparable rotator cuff tear: a scoping review of prospective surgical therapeutic trials to evaluate current practice.
Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Proteomic trajectories in human rotator cuff degeneration: a systematic review of immunohistochemical studies.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Pooled it
- Article
- Faster and Superior Functional Recovery and Sleep Quality with Steroid Injection Versus Physical Therapy for Partial-Thickness Supraspinatus Tendon Rupture.Clinics in orthopedic surgery · 2026Article
- Limited Clinical Benefit of the Subacromial Balloon Spacer in Massive Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears: A Comprehensive Review of Clinical Outcomes and Cost-Effectiveness.JBJS reviews · 2026Review
- A historical review: Surgical management of massive irreparable rotator cuff tears.Shoulder & elbow · 2025Review
- A combined anterior and posterior cuff transfer: a novel technique for massive irreparable rotator cuff tears.Musculoskeletal surgery · 2025Article
- Influence of supraspinatus retraction size on functional outcome after arthroscopic direct repair.International orthopaedics · 2025Article
- A therapeutic assessment of tranexamic acid on functional recovery after rotator cuff repair surgery: A study of early and mid-term follow-up.Journal of orthopaedics · 2025Article
- Improved clinical outcomes after arthroscopic partial rotator cuff repair with rotator interval shift for the treatment of massive irreparable anterior L-shaped rotator cuff tears.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
- Evaluating the Efficacy of Trapezius Transfer in the Management of Massive Rotator Cuff Tears: A Systematic Review of Clinical Outcomes.Orthopedic reviews · 2025Article
- LOWER TRAPEZIUS TRANSFER FOR IRREPARABLE ROTATOR CUFF TEAR: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.Acta ortopedica brasileira · 2025Review
- Short-term efficacy of open surgery versus arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in moderate rotator cuff tears.American journal of translational research · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe definition of irreparable rotator cuff tear (IRCT) is controversial. This scoping review provides definitions used to describe IRCT in the literature. This scoping review (1) identified criteria used in the definition of IRCT and (2) investigated the current state of those criteria in prospective surgical therapeutic trials.
methodsThis scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched in March 2023. Studies were screened against predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Criteria regarding clinical symptoms, preoperative images, and intraoperative findings were captured respectively.
resultsA total of 41 prospective studies were eligible for inclusion, and 35 studies (85.4%) defined IRCT. IRCT was defined on the basis of the following main criteria: preoperative image findings (28/35), intraoperative findings (24/35), and symptoms (16/35). With regard to preoperative images, IRCT was mainly defined on the basis of retraction of the tendon in the coronal plane (22/28), the severity of fatty degeneration (19/28), and ruptured tendon number or width of the defect in the sagittal plane (17/28).
conclusionThis scoping review highlights the lack of a standardized definition for IRCT in clinical practice, with common predictive criteria including a duration of over 6 months, retraction beyond 5 cm, Goutallier grade 3 fatty infiltration, and the rupture of two or more tendons. However, surgeons should apply more than one criterion when examining preoperative images and confirm reparability during surgery. A more objective manner of evaluating intraoperative reparability is necessary.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.