Clinical and Structural Outcomes After Rotator Cuff Repair in Patients With Diabetes: A Meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: The impact of diabetes on clinical and structural outcomes after rotator cuff repair remains controversial. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to compare clinical outcomes and retear rates after rotator cuff repair in patients with and without diabetes. Our hypotheses were that adequate control of diabetes would decrease the retear rate after rotator cuff repair and that patients with diabetes would have worse clinical outcomes. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies comparing outcomes in patients with and without diabetes after full-thickness rotator cuff repair. Clinical outcome analysis included the Constant score, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, and the University of California–Los Angeles shoulder rating scale; we compared preoperative, postoperative, and change in functional scores from baseline to final follow-up among the included studies. The pooled relative risk was calculated using a random-effects model for retear rates. Clinical outcomes were also pooled using a random-effects model. Results: Overall, 10 studies were included. Compared with patients without diabetes, patients with diabetes had a worse preoperative ASES score (P =.009) as well as worse postoperative Constant score (final follow-up range, 9-103 months; P =.0003). However, there was no significant difference in the absolute mean change in clinical outcomes between patients with and without diabetes. Diabetes was associated with a higher retear rate (19.3% in patients without diabetes vs 28.2% in patients with diabetes; P <7.0% of preoperative serum HbA1c level; P =.12) and 40.0% in patients with uncontrolled diabetes (HbA1c level ≥7.0%; P