Prognostic factors of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair What does the current literature tell us?

Background Rotator cuff tears are one of the most frequent musculoskeletal disorders. Reported results after an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) are generally good but still improvable regarding the observed variability in postoperative outcomes. Objective The aim of this literature review was to provide an overview of prognostic factors influencing the postoperative outcome after ARCR. Material and methods Systematic reviews summarizing the evidence related to prognostic factors with postoperative outcomes for patients who underwent ARCR were included in this review article. The literature search was carried out in the Embase, Medline (Ovid) and Scopus databanks. Prognostic factors were only included if analyzed in at least two different systematic reviews. Results A total of 7 systematic reviews with 332 articles were included in this review. The postoperative outcomes were functional and structural outcomes, quality of life and patient satisfaction. A total of 16 prognostic factors were identified and divided into patient-related, rupture-related and treatment-related prognostic factors. Conclusion Based on patient-related, rupture-related and treatment-related prognostic factors, a preoperative predictive model should be created in the future to predict the individual chances of successful recovery after ARCR and provide the patient with a precise treatment recommendation.