title: Comparison of clinical and patient-based measures to assess medium-term outcomes following shoulder surgery for disorders of the rotator cuff.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare different assessments following shoulder surgery for impingement syndrome with or without rotator cuff tear or repair.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study of 93 patients was conducted. Standard assessments were performed before, at 6 months, and at 4 years following shoulder surgery using the patient-based Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS), the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire, and a surgeon-assessed Constant Shoulder Score. Patients were categorized according to the surgery received in relation to the presence of cuff tears: full repair, partial repair, cuff tear/no repair, no tear/no repair.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most patients (57%) received subacromial decompression for impingement with no cuff tear. This group had the fewest pre- and postoperative symptoms. The category of patients who received only partial repair of a cuff tear had worse scores on all outcome assessments compared with other groups. Patient-based measures were more stable over time than the Constant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The shoulder-specific measures had greater sensitivity than the SF-36 in registering significant differences in outcomes between comparison groups at 6 months and 4 years.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Care, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK. jdawson@brookes.ac.uk
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Ray
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carr
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017006:Rotator Cuff / Q000601:surgery*; D000070636:Rotator Cuff Injuries; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome