ArticleSICOT-J2026
Routine long head of the biceps release improves pain and functional outcomes after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair of degenerative tears: A retrospective comparative study.
Article in SICOT-J, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe optimal management of the long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT) during rotator cuff repair remains controversial, particularly when the tendon appears normal. This study aims to compare the clinical outcomes of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with and without routine LHBT release.
methodsA retrospective study including patients aged >50 years with a repairable rotator cuff tear and documented normal LHBT who underwent arthroscopic surgery was conducted. Patients were divided into two groups: LHBT preservation group (n = 113) and LHBT release group (n = 110). Postoperative evaluation included the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, while functional outcomes were assessed by the Constant-Murley score and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) scores. Postoperative pain and functional outcomes were compared between the two study groups at 12 and 24 months.
resultsGroups were comparable in terms of age (p = 0.16), sex (p = 0.30), rotator cuff tear size (p = 0.51), and number of anchors used for the repair (p = 0.44). At 24 months, the LHBT release group demonstrated lower VAS score (p < 0.001), higher Constant-Murley score (medians: 86 vs 81, p < 0.001), and higher ASES score (medians: 90 vs 83, p < 0.001). Regression analysis confirmed that LHBT release is independently associated with improved functional outcomes (coefficient = 4.85, p < 0.001 for Constant-Murley score; coefficient = 6.66, p < 0.001 for ASES score). DISCUSSION: The findings of this study indicate that routine LHBT release during rotator cuff repair, even in the absence of macroscopic pathology, is associated with less postoperative pain and superior functional scores.
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.