Grade III and IV glenohumeral chondral defects do not portend worse patient-reported outcomes at 2 years after rotator cuff repair.

Hypothesis/Background: The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) at 2 years after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (RCR) in patients with grade III and IV chondral defects of the glenohumeral joint and in those without, and to report early revision to arthroplasty at 2 years. We hypothesized no difference in PROs and revision surgery at 2 years. Methods: A consecutive cohort of patients undergoing RCR were prospectively enrolled and retrospectively reviewed. Patients were classified as low-grade if they had grade 0, I, or II chondral defects and as high-grade if they had grade III or IV chondral defects determined by Outerbridge classification. PROs such as the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation, the Simple Shoulder Test, the pain the Visual Analog Scale, and the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12) were collected. Early revisions to arthroplasty were recorded. Results: Of 1,057 patients eligible, 26 patients with high-grade defects were included. A 5:1 cohort matching was performed, resulting in a sample size of 156 patients. At two years postoperatively, ASES Function and ASES Index scores remained without significant difference, respectively ( Conclusion: The presence of grade III and IV chondral defects do not portend a worse clinical outcome by measure of the selected PROs at 2 years after RCR.