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Purpose: To investigate the influence of pre-existing obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30) on outcomes after rotator cuff repair surgery., Methods: We collected data on adult patients who underwent surgical repair for symptomatic full-thickness rotator cuff tears confirmed by imaging between 2012 and 2015. The required follow-up was 3 years. At baseline and 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, Western Ontario Rotator Cuff index, and visual analog scale pain scores were collected. Complications were assessed by a chart review. Obesity was defined as BMI ≥ 30. Chi-square analysis and Student's t-test examined differences between categorical and continuous variables at baseline. Generalized estimating equations examined the effects of fixed factors on outcome variables longitudinally from baseline to 36 months., Results: Thirty-nine percent of 213 subjects were obese (mean BMI = 29.2; range, 16-48; standard deviation, 5.8). There were no statistically significant differences between obese and nonobese subjects in other baseline characteristics. When controlling for covariates, obese subjects reported no differences in Western Ontario Rotator Cuff, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, or visual analog scale pain scores when compared with nonobese subjects at baseline and over 3 years from surgery. Although obese patients were more likely to have inpatient surgery, there was no difference in the incidence of postoperative complications., Conclusions: Contrary to our hypothesis, obese participants who underwent rotator cuff repair reported no difference in functional outcome or pain scores compared with nonobese participants over 3 years. In addition, obesity was not associated with postoperative complications in this study. However, as we hypothesized, obese participants were more likely than nonobese participants to have repair in the inpatient setting., Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective comparative study., (Copyright © 2017 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Rotator cuff tears are a common shoulder disorder resulting in significant disability to patients and financial burden on the health care system. While both surgical and nonsurgical management are accepted treatment options, there is a paucity of data to support a treatment algorithm for care providers. Defining variables to guide treatment allocation may be important for patient education and counseling, as well as to deliver the most efficient care plan at the time of presentation. Purpose: To identify independent variables at the time of initial clinical presentation that are associated with preferred allocation to surgical versus nonsurgical management for patients with known full-thickness rotator cuff tears. Study Design: Case control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 196 consecutive adult patients with known full-thickness rotator cuff tears were enrolled into a prospective cohort study. Robust data were collected for each subject at baseline, including age, sex, body mass index (BMI), shoulder activity score, smoking status, size of cuff tear, duration of symptoms, functional comorbidity index, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff index (WORC), and the Veterans Rand 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12). Logistic regression was performed to identify variables associated with treatment allocation, and the corresponding odds ratios were calculated. Results: Of the 196 patients enrolled, 112 underwent surgical intervention and 84 nonoperative management. With covariates controlled for, significant baseline patient characteristics predictive of eventual allocation to surgical treatment included younger age, lower BMI, and durations of symptoms less than 1 year. Increasing age, higher BMI, and duration of symptoms longer than 1 year were predictive of nonsurgical treatment. Factors that were not associated with treatment allocation included sex, tear size, functional comorbidity score, or any of the patient-derived outcome scores at presentation (ASES, WORC, VR-12, shoulder activity score). Conclusion: Patient demographics at the time of initial presentation for a symptomatic rotator cuff tear are more predictive of treatment allocation to a surgical or nonoperative approach than the patient-derived outcome scores for activity level and shoulder disability. Further study is warranted to help define appropriate indications for treatment allocation in patients with rotator cuff tears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design: A multicenter retrospective study of preoperative characteristics and surgical outcomes in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).Objective: To determine the effect of obesity on (i) curve magnitude at first presentation to an orthopedic surgeon, and (ii) surgical outcomes.Summary Of Background Data: Clinical findings for scoliosis may be less apparent in overweight adolescents. The effect of obesity on curve magnitude at presentation to an orthopedic surgeon has not been studied. It is unclear whether obesity is associated with worse surgical outcomes in AIS.Methods: Demographic, radiographic, perioperative, and complications data were collected on AIS patients who had undergone posterior spinal fusion (PSF). Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted to compare healthy-weight (HW) [body mass index percentile for age (BMI%) ≤ 84], overweight (OW; BMI% ≥ 85), and obese (OB; BMI% ≥ 95) adolescents.Results: We analyzed 588 patients (454 HW, 134 OW, and 71 OB). In comparison with the HW adolescents, major curve magnitude at presentation to orthopedics was larger in the OW adolescents (49.3° vs. 43.9°) (P < 0.0001) and OB adolescents (50.4° vs. 43.9°) (P = 0.001). The OW and OB groups had increased preoperative major curve magnitude [(59.1° vs. 55.4°) (P = 0.001); (59.9° vs. 55.4°) (P = 0.001)], preoperative minor curve magnitude [(42.2° vs. 37.2°) (P < 0.0001); (43.0° vs. 37.2°) (P = 0.001)], preoperative thoracic kyphosis [(30.8° vs. 25.7°) (P < 0.0001); (33.7° vs. 25.7°) (P < 0.0001)], and surgical time [(307 vs. 276 mins) (P = 0.009); (320 vs. 276 mins) (P = 0.005)] than the HW group.Subgroup analysis of the patients with a minimum 2-year follow-up (n = 245) showed a trend towards a higher complication rate in the OB group (47.8% vs. 28.3%) (P = 0.054). The OB group had significantly more superficial infections than the HW group (13.0% vs. 1.6%) (P = 0.001).Conclusion: OW patients with AIS have a larger curve magnitude at presentation to an orthopedic surgeon. OW patients who undergo PSF for AIS have increased surgical times. OB patients may be at higher risk of postoperative complications.Level Of Evidence: 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]