Bone Marrow Stimulation Does Not Lead to Lower Retear Rates, Better Functional Outcomes, or Higher Complication Rates at Short-Term Follow-Up for Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Purpose

To determine the effect of bone marrow stimulation (BMS) on retear rates, functional outcomes, and complication rates in patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (RCR) through a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Methods

PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library were searched on March 25, 2023. Two evaluators independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the methodologic quality of the enrolled studies. Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan software, version 5.4.

Results

A total of 7 randomized controlled trials with 638 patients were included. The evaluation of rotator cuff tendon integrity was conducted using distinct imaging modalities. Specifically, 259 patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging whereas 208 patients underwent ultrasound. Additionally, a subset of 95 patients underwent either of these modalities; however, the precise distribution between these 2 modalities was not explicitly delineated. Compared with RCR alone, RCR combined with BMS provided similar retear rates (P = .51, I² = 46%), Constant-Murley scores (P = .14, I² = 0%), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (standardized shoulder assessment form) scores (P = .56, I² = 0%), Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index scores (P = .20, I² = 0%), visual analog scale scores (P = .19, I² = 0%), forward flexion (P = .18, I² = 0%), external rotation (P = .62, I² = 0%), severe complication rates (P = .56, I² = 0%), and mild complication rates (P = .10, I² = 0%).

Conclusions

Compared with the outcomes observed after isolated arthroscopic RCR, arthroscopic RCR with BMS showed comparable results in terms of retear rate, functional outcomes, and incidence of complications.

Level of Evidence

Level II, meta-analysis of Level I and II studies.