Does Arthroscopic Knotless Double-row Rotator Cuff Repair Yield Better Patient-reported Outcome Measures than Knotted Double-row Repair? A Prospective Comparative Interventional Study

Objective:The objective of the study was to find out whether a significant difference exists in patient reported outcome measures (PROM) after arthroscopic knotless (KTL) versus knotted (KTT) double-row rotator cuff repair (RCR).Materials and Methods:A study was done on forty patients from June 2021 to December 2022 as per inclusion criteria. All patients underwent arthroscopic KTL/KTT double-row RCR with or without soft-tissue Bankart repair and/or superior labrum anterior to posterior repair by a single surgeon. Patients were followed up with University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) score and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score for a period of 12 months. Average time of surgery and complications if any were noted.Results:Patients in both KTL and KTT groups had mean values of 0.7 and 0.55 for VAS score and 31.25 and 30.4 for UCLA score, respectively, at the end of 12-month follow-up. Excellent UCLA score was seen in four patients (value of 34). The average time of surgery for the KTL and KTT groups was 93.25 and 113.50 min, respectively. One patient had an intraoperative complication in the form of offloading of lateral row anchor which was revised during surgery itself.Conclusion:No significant difference exists in PROM, in terms of UCLA score and VAS score for those treated with KTL versus KTT double-row arthroscopic RCR in a short-term follow-up of 12 months. A KTL RCR might have the advantage of ease of procedure and reduced time of surgery though.