Table 2. Grade evidence profile: Arthroscopic vs mini-open for patients with rotator cuff tears.
| Quality Assessment | Summary of Findings | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Outcome (No. of studies; design) |
Limitations | Inconsistency | Indirectness | Imprecision | Publication Bias | Mini-open | Arthroscopic | SMD / MD (95% CI) | Quality |
| Function at 3 months (4 RCTs) | Serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | No serious indirectness | Serious imprecisions | Likely | 247/495 | 248/495 | SMD 0.00 (-0.18–0.18) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low |
| Function at 6 months (4 RCTs) | Serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | No serious indirectness | Serious imprecisions | Likely | 247/495 | 248/495 | SMD -0.01 (-0.23–0.21) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low |
| Function at 12 months (3 RCTs) | Serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | No serious indirectness | Serious imprecisions | Likely | 231/462 | 231/462 | SMD -0.09 (-0.28–0.09) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low |
| Pain at 3 months (3 RCTs) | Serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | No serious indirectness | Serious imprecisions | Likely | 127/254 | 127/254 | MD -0.21 (-0.91–0.50) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low |
| Pain at 6 months (3 RCTs) | Serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | No serious indirectness | Serious imprecisions | Likely | 127/254 | 127/254 | MD -0.03 (-0.25–0.19) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low |
| Pain at 12 months (2 RCTs) | Serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | No serious indirectness | Serious imprecisions | Likely | 97/194 | 97/194 | MD -0.35 (-1.02–0.31) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low |
| ROM–Forward flexion at 3 months (5 RCTs) | Serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | Serious indirectness | Serious imprecisions | Likely | 277/555 | 278/555 | MD 4.26 (-0.56–9.09) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low |
| ROM–Forward flexion at 6 months (5 RCTs) | Serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | Serious indirectness | Serious imprecisions | Likely | 277/555 | 278/555 | MD 1.39 (-2.12–4.90) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low |
| ROM–Forward flexion at 12 months (3 RCTs) | Serious limitations | Serious inconsistency | Serious indirectness | Serious imprecisions | Likely | 231/461 | 230/461 | MD 2.94 (-4.55–10.44) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low |
| ROM–External Rotation at 3 months (4 RCTs) | Serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | Serious indirectness | Serious imprecisions | Likely | 261/522 | 261/522 | MD 1.13 (-2.08–4.33) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low |
| ROM–External Rotation at 6 months (5 RCTs) | Serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | Serious indirectness | Serious imprecisions | Likely | 261/522 | 261/522 | MD 0.12 (-2.82–3.06) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low |
| ROM–External Rotation at 12 months (3 RCTs) | Serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | Serious indirectness | Serious imprecisions | Likely | 231/462 | 231/462 | MD 3.71 (0.14–7.28) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low |