Table I.
Baseline characteristics and intraoperative operative findings of both treatment groups
| Variable | Group 1 (abduction brace) (n = 21) | Group 2 (arm pouch) (n = 21) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean ± SD (range), yr | 55.8 ± 7.8 (40-68) | 55.5 ± 10.5 (42-70) | .93 |
| Sex, n | |||
| Male | 13 | 9 | .35 |
| Female | 8 | 12 | |
| Side, n | |||
| Right | 17 | 16 | .7 |
| Left | 4 | 5 | |
| Etiology of tear, n | |||
| Traumatic | 12 | 12 | >.999 |
| Degenerative | 9 | 9 | |
| Tendons torn, n | |||
| Supraspinatus | 7 | 7 | .93 |
| Supraspinatus and partial infraspinatus | 6 | 7 | |
| Supraspinatus and infraspinatus | 8 | 7 | |
| Shape of tear, n | |||
| Crescent | 14 | 11 | .63 |
| L | 4 | 6 | |
| U | 3 | 4 | |
| Size of posterosuperior cuff tear: Cofield grade 1/2/3/4, n | 3/7/5/6 | 1/9/6/5 | .69 |
| Condition of supraspinatus, n | |||
| Atrophy: stage 1/2/3 | 17/4/0 | 16/5/0 | .72 |
| Fatty degeneration: stage 0/1/2/3/4 | 8/10/3/0/0 | 9/8/4/0/0 | .84 |
| Condition of infraspinatus, n | |||
| Atrophy: stage 1/2/3 | 18/3/0 | 15/6/0 | .45 |
| Fatty degeneration: stage 0/1/2/3/4 | 9/9/3/0/0 | 10/7/4/0/0 | .77 |
| Subscapularis tear, n | 9 | 11 | |
| Type of acromion, n | |||
| Type II | 15 | 11 | .15 |
| Type II with spur | 6 | 7 | |
| Biceps tenotomy, n | 13 | 13 | |
| Footprint advancement, n | 2 | 3 | |
| Delamination in infraspinatus, n | 5 | 3 | |
| Delamination in supraspinatus, n | 0 | 2 | |
| Footprint microfracture, n | 16 | 15 | |
| Type of repair, n | |||
| Single row | 11 | 7 | .35 |
| DRSB | 10 | 14 | |
| Diabetes mellitus, n | 6 | 4 | |
| Preoperative CM score, mean (SD) | 32.43 (5.22) | 30.25 (5.46) | .12 |
| Preoperative VAS score, mean (SD) | 8.27 (1.22) | 8.15 (1.21) | .8 |
| Smoking, n | 4 | 3 |
SD, standard deviation; DRSB, double-row suture bridge; CM, Constant-Murley; VAS, visual analog scale.