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Purpose: To investigate the performance of the bear hug (BH) and belly press (BP) tests in diagnosing tears of the subscapularis (SSC). Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on prospectively maintained data on patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) of SSC tears between 2011 and 2021. A control group also was obtained of ARCRs with an intact SSC tendon. All examinations and ARCRs were performed by one high-volume shoulder surgeon. The BH test and BP test results were compared with arthroscopic findings as the gold-standard diagnostic modality. Tear type was classified based on the Lafosse classification. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, false-positive and false-negative rates, and accuracy were calculated for both tests. Results: A total of 1,122 patients were included for analysis, 866 with intraoperatively confirmed SSC tears (77%) and 256 without (23%). The BH test diagnosed SSC tears with a sensitivity of 46.1% and a specificity of 83.2%, whereas the BP test diagnosed tears with a sensitivity of 23.3% and a specificity of 93.4%. Overall, both tests missed SSC tears in 42.3% (n = 475) of cases. The BH test had accuracy rates of 25.9% for SSC type I tear, 48.7% for type II tear, 65% for type III tear, and 81.7% for type IV-V tear. In contrast, the BP test had accuracy rates of 7.6% for type I tear, 14.7% for type II tear, 42% for type III tear, and 68.7% for type IV-V tear. Conclusions: The BH test had greater sensitivity than the BP test in identifying SSC tears. Both tests showed low accuracy in identifying SSC tears as tear size decreased. Combining both tests did not provide any additional benefits over using the BH test alone. Level of Evidence: Level III, diagnostic study.

Purpose: To compare radiologist and surgeon magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) interpretations of subscapularis (SSC) tears against intraoperative arthroscopic examination. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of prospectively maintained data on patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with and without SSC tears between 2011 and 2022. The radiologists’ assessments of SSC integrity were extracted from the MRI reports. One high-volume fellowship-trained shoulder surgeon assessed all MRI scans for the presence or absence of SSC tears. Radiologist and surgeon MRI-based assessments were compared against the diagnostic gold standard (intraoperative arthroscopic examination) and classified according to the Lafosse classification. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy were calculated. Results: A total of 1,090 patients were included for analysis, 839 with intraoperatively confirmed SSC tears (77%) and 251 without such tears (23%). Radiologists diagnosed SSC tears with a sensitivity of 56.0% (470 of 839 patients) and specificity of 67.3% (169 of 251 patients) via MRI, whereas the surgeon diagnosed SSC tears with a sensitivity of 71.4% (599 of 839 patients) and specificity of 78.1% (196 of 251 patients). Overall, radiologists only correctly identified 56% of SSC tears whereas the shoulder surgeon correctly identified approximately 71.4% of tears. When considering arthroscopically confirmed tear size, that is, intact, partial, full thickness [upper border], and complete, the radiologists’ diagnosis rates with MRI were 67.3%, 40.4%, 64.6%, and 78.3%, respectively, and the surgeon’s diagnosis rates were 78.1%, 52.7%, 81.9%, and 97.5%, respectively. Conclusions: In a community practice, radiologists miss approximately 50% of SSC tears on MRI examination. A shoulder surgeon with the benefit of clinical examination misses 28.6% of tears on MRI. Accuracy increases as tear size increases, with radiologists detecting 40.4% of partial tears and 78.3% of complete tears and a surgeon detecting 52.7% and 97.5%, respectively. Level of Evidence: Level III, diagnostic study (nonconsecutive patients).

Purpose: To report patient-reported outcomes (PROs), range of motion (ROM), and satisfaction, in patients who underwent arthroscopic lysis of adhesions for stiffness after open reduction with internal fixation (ORIF) or reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) for fracture. Methods: A retrospective review was performed to identify patients with stiffness who underwent arthroscopic lysis of adhesions following ORIF or RSA for proximal humerus fracture at a single institution between 2012 and 2021 with minimum 1-year follow-up. PROs including visual analog scale for pain (VAS), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), and Subjective Shoulder Value (SSV), as well as active ROM including forward flexion (FF), external rotation (ER), internal rotation (IR), were collected pre- and postoperatively. Attempted nonoperative treatment before arthroscopic lysis of adhesions was documented. Complications and satisfaction were also recorded. Results: A total of 21 patients met the study criteria (4 RSA, 17 ORIF), with an average age of 66.7 ± 8 years. The study sample comprised mostly of female patients (90%). The mean time from the index surgery to arthroscopy was 9 months, and mean follow-up post-lysis was 17 months. Patients with ORIF reported significant pain relief (VAS, Δ –3.2) and improvement in range of motion (FF, Δ 36°; ER, Δ 20°; IR Δ 3 spinal levels) and PROs (ASES, Δ 34.7; SSV Δ 44.8) (P