Clinical Research Directory

Shoulder Anterior Capsular Block for Postoperative Analgesia in Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery

Shoulder pain is frequently encountered in the medical field. Rotator cuff tears are the most common cause. Shoulder pain affects quality of life and delay rehabilitation programs. Effective control of post operative pain is a cornerstone in the success of these surgeries. Regional anaesthesia is often favoured for shoulder surgery as it could effectively provide anaesthesia and postoperative analgesia. Additionally, the upper limb has multiple nerve targets that can be blocked. Ultrasound combined SSNB-ANB were described as an alternative to interscalene nerve block for shoulder surgeries equipotent pain relief and patient satisfaction as well as fewer complications due to the location of injection. Ultrasound guided SHAC block is a motor sparing block which targets all nerves supplying shoulder consistently at two sites. It was validated in chronic shoulder pain patients. However, there is no sufficient evidence for this block in postoperative pain after shoulder surgery.

Long Term Clinical Outcome After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair Augmentation With Autologous Microfragmented Lipoaspirate Tissue

Specific Aims : The aim of this prospective randomized controlled single-blind clinical trial was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of autologous microfragmented lipoaspirate tissue in arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. The primary goal of this study was to test the following hypothesis: an intraoperative injection of autologous microfragmented adipose tissue processed with an enzyme-free technology could improve the clinical outcomes of single-row arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in terms of points in the Constant-Murley score (CMS) collected at least 5 years after surgery. Background and Significance: Rotator cuff surgery was initially proposed at the end of the 19th century and evolved then from open to arthroscopic techniques, rising quickly from a minor niche to a fully recognized subspecialty. To improve clinical and functional results and reduce the retear rate, new fixation techniques and biological solutions to enhance tendon healing are being developed at a fast pace, as shown by the dramatic increase in the number of articles published per year. Biological solutions to enhance rotator cuff healing include growth factors and platelet-rich plasma, as well as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their derivatives. MSCs are believed to enhance tissue healing mainly through stimulation of local cells via paracrine mechanisms and anti-inflammatory and/or immunomodulatory activity, thus creating a suitable microenvironment for tissue repair. Autologous microfragmented lipoaspirate tissue has been recently introduced in orthopaedics as an easily available source of adipose derived MSCs (ADSCs) to support and accelerate tissue regeneration. Lipoaspirates contain human ADSCs and produce growth factors, such as platelet-derived growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, transforming growth factor beta, and vascular endothelial growth factor, which play important regulatory roles in cellular functions, including adhesion, chemotaxis, proliferation, migration, matrix synthesis, differentiation, and angiogenesis. Herewith, autologous microfragmented lipoaspirate tissue is expected to optimize the microenvironment for tendon regeneration. Among many approaches, devices relying on nonenzymatic methods and avoiding the use of additives and other additional manipulations (eg, centrifugation) allow one to harvest, process, and obtain autologous microfragmented lipoaspirate tissue directly in the operative theatre under sterile conditions. This permits immediate use in the same surgical intervention without delays owing to the difficulty of an ex vivo cell expansion and the complexity of the current good manufacturing practice requirements for preparing cells for therapeutic use. Although several animal studies have been published showing promising results for the use of ADSCs in enhancing the healing of rotator cuff tears, minimal evidence describing augmentation of rotator cuff treatment with lipoaspirate. Preliminary Studies/Progress Report: This study is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial and represents the final follow-up of an our previous study with short follow-up (2 years). The previous study demonstrated that the intraoperative injection of autologous microfragmented adipose tissue is safe and effective in improving short-term clinical and functional results after single-row arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Nevertheless, no significant differences emerged between the groups in terms of rerupture rate, complication rate, number of adverse events, and mid-term clinical outcomes. A previous in vitro study showed that autologous microfragmented adipose tissue significantly increases the proliferation rate of human tendon stem cells without altering their stemness and differentiation capability. Moreover, treated cells increase the expression of VEGF, which is crucial for the neovascularization of the tissue during the healing process. Research Design and Method: At least 5 years after surgery, all enrolled patients in the previous study will be call again and will be asked to complete the ASES, SST, and VAS questionnaire and they will undergo a clinical examination, including the CMS and measurement of isometric strength in shoulder forward flexion, abduction, and external rotation. All strength measures will be performed in triplicate with a dynamometer. During the same assessment day, the patients would be evaluated with MRI of the operated shoulder in order to assess tendon integrity and calculate rerupture rate according to the classification proposed by Sugaya (types IV and V defined as retears). Atrophy of the supraspinatus muscle belly was evaluated according to Warner and fatty degeneration was classified according to Fuchs.

Rotator Cuff Repair With Magnesium Pin

Rotator cuff tears are one of the most common conditions encountered in orthopaedic practice leading to significant shoulder pain and functional deficit. The incidence of rotator cuff tears increases with age and previous trauma. Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) is a surgical procedure to reattach the torn edge of the tendon to the underlying bone, which can improve the clinical symptoms of patients. However, the retear rate after arthroscopic repair is as high as 94% (1). The high re-tear rate following cuff repair is due to the lack of a strong tendon to bone integration. The natural healing responses after surgical reattachment are too weak to regenerate strong tendon insertion, primarily owing to insufficient osteogenesis. To enhance the bone-tendon interface (BTI) healing, the investigators have developed a magnesium pin that can be applied to the cuff repair site to improve the BTI healing.This study is a single-center, randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of using magnesium pin as a suture to augment rotator cuff repair. The intervention groups receives treated using magnesium pin additional to the suture anchor used routinely in clinical practice, whereas the control group receives routine suture anchor for the treatment-as-usual (TAU). The investigators hypothesize the magnesium pin applied in arthroscopic rotator cuff tears can promote BTI healing and reduce the cumulative retear rate with better functional outcomes.