Comparing surgical and conservative treatments for rotator cuff tears

ISRCTN ISRCTN12733667
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN12733667
Secondary identifying numbers 19/18 PAR ComEt CBM
Submission date
19/01/2019
Registration date
01/05/2019
Last edited
03/03/2022
Recruitment status
No longer recruiting
Overall study status
Completed
Condition category
Musculoskeletal Diseases
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data
Record updated in last year

Plain English Summary

Background and study aims
Rotator cuff (RC) disease is among the most common musculoskeletal disorders. Patients with RC pathology may complain of symptoms ranging from minimal discomfort without functional deficits to severe pain, weakness, and marked disability. The aim of this study is to compare surgical and conservative treatment of RCT, in term of functional outcomes, rotator cuff (RC) integrity, and muscle atrophy or fatty degeneration, to evaluate treatment effectiveness and obtain high-quality evidence for the management of those patients.

Who can participate?
Patients of aged 18 or over with atraumatic, symptomatic, isolated full-thickness supraspinatus tendon tear documented with MRI; full range of motion of the shoulder.

What does the study involve?
To be randomized to surgical and conservative treatment of degenerative RCT.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
It is hoped that the insight gained will help to inform how best to approach RC disease. The results will be published to inform further research into the effectiveness of rehabilitation versus surgical repair of the RC. No additional risks to participants in either treatment group are anticipated.

Where is the study run from?
University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome- Italy.

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
May 2019 until April 2022.

Who is funding the study?
University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome and the Italian Ministry of Health ((Ricerca FINALIZZATA 2016 - PE-2016-02364894).

Who is the main contact?
Prof Umile Giuseppe Longo
G.Longo@unicampus.it

Contact information

Prof Umile Giuseppe Longo
Public

via alvaro del portillo 200
rome
00128
Italy

ORCiD logoORCID ID 0000-0003-4063-9821
Phone +3906225418816
Email g.longo@unicampus.it

Study information

Study designRandomised Controlled Trial
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study designRandomised controlled trial
Study setting(s)Hospital
Study typeTreatment
Participant information sheet Not Available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet
Scientific titleSurgical versus conservative management for patients with rotator cuff tears: a randomized controlled trial
Study acronymSUN
Study hypothesisThere will be no differences between surgical and conservative treatment of rotator cuff tears, in term of functional outcomes, rotator cuff integrity, and muscle atrophy or fatty degeneration.
Ethics approval(s)University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome Ethic Committee, 29/03/2018, ref. 19/18 PAR ComEt CBM.
ConditionRotator Cuff tears
InterventionSurgical treatment:
Patients in group 1 will undergo an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair

Conservative treatment:
Conservative treatment will consist of a validated protocol for conservative RC rehabilitation (http://www.moonshoulder.com/booklets/060109PatientRehabBooklet.pdf) under the supervision of an experienced shoulder physiotherapist.

Total duration of treatment:
3 months

Follow-up for all study arms
Follow up at 6, 12, and 24 months

Details of the randomisation process:
Patients will be randomly assigned to surgical repair (Group 1) or conservative treatment (Group 2) using a computer-generated allocation, stratified for age, gender, and affected shoulder (right or left).
Intervention typeProcedure/Surgery
Primary outcome measurePain and ability to carry out normal daily activities will be measured using the constant score at 6, 12, and 24 months.
Secondary outcome measures1. Shoulder function will be measured using the ASES Shoulder Score at 6, 12, and 24 months
2. Pain will be measured using the VAS at 6, 12, and 24 months.
3. Patient-reported outcomes will be measured using the Oxford Shoulder Score at 6, 12, and 24 months.
4. Rotator cuff integrity, the extent of fatty degeneration and the amount of muscle atrophy will be measured using an MRI at 6, 12 and 24 months post-operatively.
5. Shoulder pain and disability will be measured using the Shoulder Pain And Disability Index at 6, 12, and 24 months.
6. Pain-related disability will be measured using the Shoulder Disability Questionnaire at 6, 12, and 24 months.
7. Shoulder symptoms and function will be measured using the Shoulder Rating Questionnaire at 6, 12, and 24 months.
8. General health will be measured using the Short-Form 36 at 6, 12, and 24 months.
Overall study start date01/01/2016
Overall study end date31/12/2024

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Patient
Age groupAdult
SexBoth
Target number of participants98
Participant inclusion criteria1. Atraumatic, symptomatic, isolated full-thickness supraspinatus tendon tear documented with MRI
2. Full passive range of motion of the shoulder.
Participant exclusion criteria1. Previous surgical treatment of the shoulder
2. Frozen shoulder
3. Radiological osteoarthritis of the glenohumeral joint
4. Cognitive disorders
5. Neurological disease or language barriers
6. Tear involving the whole supraspinatus tendon combined with tear of two to three tendons
7. Muscle fatty degeneration > of stage 2 according to Goutallier classification
8. Muscle atrophy evaluated with Tangent sign, exceeding stage 2
9. Acute-on-chronic tears (after a traumatic event in a shoulder with preceding episodes of symptoms)
Recruitment start date07/01/2021
Recruitment end date31/12/2024

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • Italy

Study participating centre

University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome
via alvaro del portillo 200
rome
00128
Italy

Sponsor information

Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome
University/education

via alvaro del portillo 200
rome
00128
Italy

Phone +3906225419167
Email g.longo@unicampus.it
ROR logo "ROR" https://ror.org/04gqx4x78

Funders

Funder type

University/education

Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma
Private sector organisation / Universities (academic only)
Alternative name(s)
Campus Bio-Medico University
Location
Italy
Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Finalizzata)

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date01/01/2025
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareNo
IPD sharing plan summaryData sharing statement to be made available at a later date
Publication and dissemination planPlanned publication in a high-impact peer-reviewed journal.
IPD sharing planThe data sharing plans for the current study are unknown and will be made available at a later date.

Editorial Notes

03/03/2022: The following changes have been made:
1. The recruitment start date has been changed from 20/05/2019 to 07/01/2021.
2. The recruitment end date has been changed from 10/02/2022 to 31/12/2024.
3. The overall trial end date has been changed from 31/12/2022 to 31/12/2024 and the plain English summary has been updated to reflect this change.
4. The intention to publish date has been changed from 31/12/2023 to 01/01/2025.
5. The target number of participants has been changed from 130 to 98 and the total target enrolment has been changed from 130 to 98.