Avaliação dos desfechos no tratamento da rotura do manguito rotador: o que usamos no Brasil?

Automated Assessment of Cell Infiltration and Removal in Decellularized Scaffolds - Experimental Study in Rabbits

Objective  Semiquantitative and automated measurement of nuclear material removal and cell infiltration in decellularized tendon scaffolds (DTSs). Method  16 pure New Zealand rabbits were used, and the gastrocnemius muscle tendon was collected bilaterally from half of these animals (16 tendons collected); 4 were kept as control and 12 were submitted to the decellularization protocol (DTS). Eight of the DTSs were used as an in vivo implant in the experimental rotator cuff tear (RCT) model, and the rest, as well as the controls, were used in the semiquantitative and automated evaluation of nuclear material removal. The eight additional rabbits were used to make the experimental model of RCT and subsequent evaluation of cellular infiltration after 2 or 8 weeks, within the DTS. Results  The semiquantitative and automated analysis used demonstrated a removal of 79% of nuclear material ( p  < 0.001 and power > 99%) and a decrease of 88% (p < 0.001 and power >99%) in the area occupied by nuclear material after the decellularization protocol. On cell infiltration in DTS, an increase of 256% (p < 0.001 and power >99%) in the number of cells within the DTS was observed in the comparison between 2 and 8 weeks postoperatively. Conclusion  The proposed semiquantitative and automated measurement method was able to objectively measure the removal of nuclear material and cell infiltration in DTS.

Establishing minimal clinically important difference for the UCLA and ASES scores after rotator cuff repair

BACKGROUND/HYPOTHESIS

Minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is a vital tool in the analysis of clinical results. It allows the determination of clinical relevance of statistical data. Our hypothesis was that specific differences between preoperative and postoperative scores would be able to accurately predict patient perception of improvement and satisfaction as reflected by anchor and distribution-based questions.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort with patients that underwent rotator cuff repair. We evaluated the University of California at Los Angeles Shoulder Rating Scale (UCLA) and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Assessment Form (ASES) before and 12-months after surgery. Anchor-based, distribution-based and minimum detectable change (MDC) approaches were utilized.

RESULTS

We evaluated 289 shoulders. The MCID for the UCLA scale was 4.5 points using the anchor method, 2.5 by the distribution method and 3.6 by MDC. Patients with a baseline score>20 presented a lower MCID (1.5, 1.1 and 1.7, respectively). For the ASES score, the MCID was 6.1 by the anchor method, 10.5 based on the distribution method and 26.3 by MDC. In the group of patients above the 60 point cutoff, the obtained values were 2.4, 4.9 and 13.6, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The mean MCID value for the UCLA shoulder score is 3.5 points, ranging from 2.5 points (distribution method) to 4.5 points (anchor method). The mean MCID value for the ASES score was 15.2 points, ranging from 6.1 (anchor method) to 26.3 (MDC). Patients groups presenting with higher preoperative scores showed lower MCID values. This fact needs to be considered in postoperative comparisons between treatment groups.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Basic Science Study, Validation of Outcomes Instruments/Classification Systems.

Anterior Glenohumeral Instability: Systematic Review of Outcomes Assessment Used in Brazil

A review involving the six major international orthopedic journals has been published recently. It described the tools used for the evaluation of outcomes in the surgical treatment of recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder. There are no studies that exhibit the main outcome tools for this disease in Brazil. The authors evaluated the outcomes of clinical studies involving anterior glenohumeral instability that were published in the last decade in the two leading Brazilian orthopedic journals, Revista Brasileira de Ortopedia and Acta Ortopédica Brasileira . A review of the literature was performed, including all clinical papers published between 2007 and 2016 describing at least one outcome measure before and after surgical intervention. The outcomes were range of motion, muscle strength, physical examination testing, patient satisfaction, return to sports, imaging, complications, and functional outcomes scores. Twelve studies evaluating the clinical outcomes of surgical treatment for anterior shoulder instability were published. Ten studies (83%) were case series (level of evidence IV), 1 (8%) was a case-control study (III), and 1 was a retrospective cohort (III). On average, the number of outcomes assessed was 3.7 ± 1.7. The Rowe score was used in 9 studies (75%), and 7 (58%) papers used the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) scale. Ten studies (83%) reported complications related to surgical treatment. The complication most frequently reported was recurrent instability, found in 9 studies (75%). The national studies have preferentially used scales considered to be of low reliability, responsiveness, and internal consistency.