Outcomes After Limited or Extensive Bursectomy During Rotator Cuff Repair: Randomized Controlled Trial

78 patients with a full-thickness rotator cuff tear and scheduled for arthroscopic repair were randomized to a procedure which feature limited bursectomy or extensive bursectomy. Patients were assessed for outcome on clinical scores, including pain on a visual analog scale (VAS), the Constant score, the Simple Shoulder Test (SST), and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, shoulder range of motion in forward flexion, external rotation, and internal rotation, and imaging for tendon integrity and bursal thickening over 1 year follow-up. The primary outcome of VAS pain scores demonstrated no significant differences between groups at 5 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, or 1 year. The only secondary outcome which demonstrated a consistent significant difference between groups was range of external rotation, which was found to be greater in the limited bursectomy group compared to the extensive bursectomy group.