Evaluation of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair results in patients with anterior greater tubercle cysts

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical results of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in patients with anterior greater tubercle cyst in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: The cyst-present group comprised 38 patients with anterior greater tubercle cyst in MRI, and age- and sex-matched 30 patients without cyst in humeral head were included in the control group. The cystic group was divided into two groups, smaller than 5 mm (21 patients) and larger than 5 mm (17 patients), according to the cyst size. A total of three groups were created. In the evaluation of clinical outcomes, modified University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC) were used. The visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess pain. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare VAS, UCLA, and WORC scores among the groups. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the clinical results of VAS, UCLA, and WORC among the cystic and noncystic groups in the anterior greater tubercle (p < 0.05). There was also a statistically significant difference in the clinical results of UCLA, WORC, and VAS scores according to the cyst sizes in the anterior greater tubercle cyst group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Anterior greater tubercle cysts have negative effects on rotator cuff repair results. If the anterior greater tubercle cyst size is greater than 5 mm, the negative effects of rotator cuff repair results are more pronounced. An understanding of anterior greater tubercle cysts has a critical importance for rotator cuff surgery planning.