The Effects of Pre-existing Mood Disorders on Patient-Reported Outcomes After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair

Background: The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature to evaluate the effect of pre-existing mood disorders on patient-reported outcomes after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR). Methods: Two independent reviewers performed a literature search using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases. Only studies which grouped as either having a pre-existing mood disorder (namely anxiety and/or depression) or not and evaluated patient-reported outcomes following ARCR procedures were considered for inclusion. Meta-analysis was performed on outcomes using RevMan, with a p-value <0.05 being deemed statistically significant. Results: Our search found 8 studies including 1,166 shoulders (58.9% males), with an average age of 57.7 ± 3.2 years (21-81) and mean follow-up of 20.8 ± 16.7 months (3-77) which met our inclusion criteria. There were a total of 262 patients (22.5%; mean age 59.9 ± 1.4 years) with pre-existing anxiety and/or depression and 904 patients (77.5%; mean age 59.7 ± 1.7 years) in the control group who underwent ARCR, respectively. Meta-analysis found significantly lower American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores as well as Simple Shoulder Test scores in patients with pre-existing anxiety and/or depression when compared with a control (mean difference [MD] −7.92 [−9.45, −6.40], p < 0.0001, I 2 = 0%; MD −1.56 [−2.54, −0.59], p = 0.002, I 2 = 80%, respectively) In addition, meta-analysis demonstrated significantly higher Visual Analog Scale scores for pain in patients with pre-existing anxiety and/or depression when compared with a control (MD 0.70 [0.02, 1.38], p = 0.04, I 2 = 71%). Furthermore, meta-analysis performed found that ARCR resulted in significant changes in the rates of reported anxiety and/or depression in patients with pre-existing anxiety and/or depression (MD 4.06[−2.47, 6.68], p < 0.0001, I 2 = 0%). Conclusion: Our review found that patients with pre-existing mood disorders were significantly more likely to report higher rates of postoperative pain and poorer functional outcomes following ARCR procedures, when compared with controls without mood disorders. Therefore, the presence of pre-existing anxiety and/or depression warrants consideration in the management paradigm for patients with rotator cuff tears. More optimistically, however, ARCR resulted in significant improvements in anxiety and/or depressive symptoms postoperatively. Level of Evidence: Level III ; systematic review of retrospective comparative studies. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.