The effect of age on risk of retear after rotator cuff repair: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Michael Khazzam, Brian Sager, Hayden Box, Steven B. Wallace
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effect of age on rotator cuff repair failure. The hypothesis of this study was that increased patient age would lead to a higher rate of retears and/or repair failures after rotator cuff repair. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of level I and II studies evaluating patients undergoing rotator cuff repair that also included an imaging assessment of the structural integrity of the repair. Univariate and multivariate meta-regression was performed to assess the dependence of the retear rate on the mean age of the cohort, imaging modality, time to imaging, and publication year. RESULTS: = .195). CONCLUSION: The risk of retear after rotator cuff repair is associated with increased age and doubles between the ages of 50 and 70 years.